Second Chances
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: Hao is injured and captured by his family, to be brought home to be 'looked after'. To his dismay a pair of mildly crazy human university students have made the inn their home. Surviving a year without attempting to murder someone could be difficult.
1. Chapter 1

Wolf: Hey, new story time! I decided to do this one because I thought it would be a lot of fun. There are two new OCs in this story, I hope you'll like them. Well, I own nothing but the plot and said OCs, so let's get on with the story.

Yoh's friends watched as he fought with the power of all the shamans' hope against Hao Asakura, their enemy, Yoh's brother. They knew how much this must be hurting Yoh, despite the taunting words he threw at Hao, he didn't want to have to do this. But it was too late, Hao had forced their hand, and now Yoh fought for the whole of humanity's right to live.

They all silently rooted on Yoh as the two brothers flew at each other in a headlong crash. Yoh sliced through the Spirit of Fire, prompting a startled cheer from the onlookers. A wave of light and smoke rose up, obscuring the two from view.

As it cleared, Yoh dropped to earth. He looked up, and activated his Oversoul again, catching his brother's falling body before it hit the ground. He set Hao gently on the ground and walked forward to inspect the damage he'd done.

It wasn't nearly as bad as he'd feared, but that was because he'd checked the blow. Hao was unconscious and bleeding sluggishly from a long wound from his collarbone to his navel. Nothing appeared to be broken, thanks to Yoh's timely intervention, but he would need stitches and a blood transfusion.

"Faust, I'm going to need you to accompany me to the hospital, in case the Patch doctors refuse to treat him." Yoh said as he used Hao's poncho as a makeshift bandage.

"What? Yoh you can't be serious!" Lyserg cried. "We should finish him right here."

"And what good does that do?" Yoh said angrily. "He'll just come back again, more powerful than before. Do you really want more families destroyed like yours was?" Lyserg shut his mouth, though he still looked angry.

Yoh picked Hao up off the ground and looked at Faust, who nodded his head. Yoh set out towards the village at a fast trot, his friends right behind him.

%&%&%&%

Yoh had been right about the Patch doctors wanting nothing to do with Hao, but thankfully Faust was scary enough to sequester an operating room and a recovery room to do his work. "You are an artist with a blade, Yoh." He commented when he was done. "If the blow had been any deeper he'd have broken ribs, and if it had been shallower he would not have been knocked out by it." Yoh waved away the compliment and sat down by Hao's bed.

An IV dripped painkillers into his veins while sensors monitored his heart and brain activity. His skin was pale and slightly clammy to the touch, but Yoh thought that he'd never seen Hao look so peaceful. In sleep the hard expression was smoothed away, and he looked almost like the sixteen year old boy his body was.

"Heads up, Yoh." Ren called from the doorway. "The Patch officials are coming this way, and Goldva looks pissed."

Yoh got up and went to the door, blocking the officials from going inside. "Good afternoon, can I help you all?" He asked evenly.

"Stand aside, Yoh Asakura." Goldva growled. "We have official business here."

"If that business is killing or otherwise incapacitating Hao, I will have to respectfully decline." Yoh replied politely. Goldva's eyes narrowed. "I thought the Patch were supposed to be neutral?"

"He stepped over the boundaries, he did the taboo, now he is free to be judged for his crimes." Goldva barked. "Stand aside!" Yoh didn't move.

"If I wanted to see him dead, I would have killed him myself." An idea occurred to him. "The way I see it, you owe me for stopping him."

"What are you playing at, Yoh?" Silva asked.

"A chance, that's all I'm asking. One year to turn Hao around." Yoh said, quickly coming up with the idea. Hao couldn't be all bad, there still had to be something of the man he was before he began to hate all humans. If he could just get that man back, he could stop all of this, once and for all. "The other option is leaving it and letting him come back in five hundred years even more powerful."

Goldva uttered a short growl as he digested Yoh's words. "What makes you think he can even change?" He demanded.

"I got a bit of him when I was absorbed, there's a lot of bad feelings he's repressed in there, if I can help him work through those..." Yoh trailed off. "I could get this all to stop, without killing."

"One year?" Goldva repeated. Yoh nodded. "Fine, but we will be there when that year is up to judge for ourselves if he has changed or not. Now, if you'll step aside, we wish to put some safeguards in place." Yoh nodded and stood aside.

He watched as Goldva placed an odd leather collar around Hao's neck. "It inhibits his powers." Silva explained to Yoh. "He won't be able to use them as long as that thing's on."

"Probably for the best." Yoh murmured.

"I would ask that you have him restrained while he is here." Goldva said, gesturing to the restraints attached to the bed. "We'd rather not have him trying to get out once he learns of his fate."

"Not to mention he'll probably try to kill me when he finds out what I've done." Yoh muttered. He watched as the Patch secured Hao to the bed by his wrists and ankles. Hao didn't wake through the whole affair, much to Yoh's relief. His relief was cut short when his fiancé stormed up to him and slapped him across the face.

"Why the hell would you do this?" She screeched at him, making everyone in earshot wince. Yoh gazed at her steadily, rubbing his stinging cheek.

"I had to, I wasn't about to let them kill him, that would solve no problems." He told her gently.

"I will not have him in my house."

"It's been decided already, Anna. And it's my house too." Yoh said fiercely. "Our home is the best place to try and stop this madness, once and for all, don't you see that?" Anna glared at him, but Yoh refused to back down.

"You're foolish to believe that he can change, and maybe this will prove it." She finally snarled and then turned on her heel and stalked away. Yoh sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I think she's right in a way, Yoh." Horohoro said reluctantly. "I don't think he can change."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't try." Yoh replied stubbornly. He rubbed at his face, tired, but there was one other thing he had to do. He found a phone and called the En Inn, knowing his mother had taken a job in Tokyo and moved in.

'**City morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em!' **Yoh blinked at the unfamiliar, cheerful voice.

"I'm sorry?" He asked.

'**Whoops, sorry about that. What can I do for you?'**

"I was looking for Keiko Asakura, but I must have the wrong number."

'**Nope, I'll get her for you.' **He heard the phone being put down and then someone yelling his mother's name. The phone was picked up again.

'**Hello?' **Keiko said.

"Hey mom." Yoh said.

'**Yoh! Hi sweetie! Why are you calling?' **Yoh took a breath and explained what he'd done. For a long moment there was silence. **'Honey, I understand and I applaud your intentions but... Well, I signed up to be a host for a university exchange program, and now there are two students, Canadian, living here and neither of them are shamans.'**

Yoh closed his eyes and thought hard for a moment. This could either be very good or very bad, depending on what these students were like. "Um, can you tell me what their personalities are like?"

'**Well, they're both kind of goofy, they like their jokes and play pranks on each other, but they're helpful and polite. They're both geeks, they like video games, sci-fi, that sort of thing. They think that our shamanism is cool, as well.'**

"Okay, this might actually be okay." Yoh said. "It might be good for Hao to be exposed to the two of them, in a situation where he can't kill them on sight."

'**Should I warn them?' **

"Yeah, just let them know not to, like, pick on him or something." Yoh replied.

'**Well, they won't do that.' **Keiko assured him. **'Alright, I have work, I'll see you soon?' **

"Yeah mom, I love you." Yoh hung up the phone and breathed out slowly. Suddenly he was a lot more nervous about this than before.


	2. Chapter 2

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh was at the hospital every waking moment. He wanted to be there right when Hao woke up, so that he would hear his fate from Yoh himself. He hoped he would be able to explain it in such a way that Hao wouldn't fly off the handle in a complete rage when he heard it. He doubted even he could explain it that well, but he could try.

Lyserg, predictably, had not been happy about Yoh's decision. He'd stormed off somewhere, with Ryu trailing after him, all but begging for him to come back. The rest of them hadn't been happy, but they seemed to understand and respect his intentions.

It didn't take too long for Hao to start coming out of his sleep, only a day and a half had gone by before he'd begun to stir. Yoh watched as he tried to lift his hand, only to come up against resistance from the restraints holding him down. His eyes flew open, instantly alert.

Yoh thought he would go into panic mode, but that wasn't Hao's way. He simply lifted his head as much as he could off the bed and tugged again, eying the restraints coolly, almost with a detached air. He turned his head slowly and glared at Yoh, who, despite knowing that Hao had no access to his powers, suddenly wished he had a weapon with him.

"Why the hell am I tied down?" Hao demanded frostily.

"Because the Patch don't want you wandering away." Yoh replied. "You've probably also noticed that your powers are bound." Hao nodded tightly. "They were going to execute you, but I stepped in."

"Why?" Hao growled.

"For one thing I didn't think it was to anyone's advantage having you die." Yoh replied calmly. "For another, I'm not willing to give up on you yet." Hao's eyes narrowed at that.

"What's going on in that tiny mind of yours?" He hissed. The insult didn't faze Yoh, he'd been subject to much worse.

"I am taking you back home with me to Tokyo. Officially the reason is to see if we can turn your behaviour around into something a little less... destructive. I have one year, and then they come to see exactly if anything has changed." Yoh explained carefully, watching Hao's face for any sign of an impending explosion.

"So, you've bartered me away, without so much as thinking about what I wanted?" Hao said angrily.

"You never seemed to think about that with me." Yoh reminded him tersely. "Doesn't feel good to have someone else attempting to pull your strings, does it?" Hao was silent, obviously stewing.

"And what if I don't agree?"

"You don't get a say in this." Yoh replied. "There are only two ways you're going to go. One is the easy way, cooperating with us. Two is the hard way and I have Faust drug you until we reach Tokyo and it's too late to turn back."

"I could run." Hao pointed out. He was scrambling for a plan, Yoh could tell.

"You won't get far. Without your powers shielding your presence we can locate you without a problem with our own powers, plus I can think of at least one being who wouldn't be adverse to keeping an eye on you." Yoh replied confidently.

The twins stared each other down for a long moment. Hao finally scowled and laid his head back down on the bed. "Fine, if it will preserve what's left of my dignity, I'll _come quietly._" He spat the words out like they were poison. "But the first chance I get, your head is mine." He threatened.

"I'll take my chances." Yoh replied calmly. "We'll probably get going now as soon as we have a way home. I'm sorry we can't give you more time to recover, but we have a doctor on-site so it shouldn't be much of an issue."

"Whatever." Hao muttered. Yoh knew he'd been dismissed, and there were things he needed to do, plans to be made.

"I'll leave Amidamaru here, just in case someone decides to try an assassination attempt or something." Yoh said, heading for the door. As he was leaving a wicked mood seized him and he added "Oh, and there's going to be a pair of university students living with us too, try to be nice." He was out the door and gone before Hao could process what he'd just said.

%&%&%&%

It took only a few hours for Ren to get one of his family planes to come pick them up. Yoh went with Faust and Ren to pick up Hao. "I've changed my mind." Hao informed him as they came in. "I'm not going anywhere there's humans living."

"So we're going to drug you then?" Yoh asked pleasantly. "Faust?" Faust smiled slightly and took a hypodermic needle from his lab coat. He always seemed to have at least one. "Better make it a high dose."

"Alright, you win." Hao ground out, baring his teeth at Yoh. "Now get me out of here." Yoh complied, releasing Hao's restraints while Faust removed the IVs. Yoh didn't move back fast enough when Hao was free to avoid a punch to the chest. He merely grunted and shook it off, he'd gotten much worse after all.

Faust handed him two packages of pills. "One is painkillers, the other is antibiotics." Faust explained. Yoh gave them to Hao, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm assuming you know how to medicate yourself as needed." Yoh told him. "The antibiotics should be taken every few hours, to prevent infections."

"Hmph. Clothes?" Hao growled. Yoh handed him a pair of loose jeans and a t-shirt. Hao put them on, shoved the pills in his pocket and scowled at them.

The plane ride home was uneventful, at least for Yoh, seeing as he'd slept through the whole thing. When he woke up, just prior to touching down, Hao looked annoyed at something, but that didn't seem unusual. He seemed uncomfortable for some reason to, but only growled at Yoh when he asked if he was alright.

He didn't realize anything was really wrong until they'd gotten to the house and Hao started swaying a little bit. "Hao? Are you alright?" Yoh asked. Hao opened his mouth, his eyes glazing over and then his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. "Hao!" At his yelp he heard footsteps running from somewhere upstairs.

He ignored the sound and looked for Hao's pills. "Hao, where are your pills?" He asked. Hao stared at him feverishly. "You didn't get rid of them, did you?"

"Hmph, he doesn't need them." Anna said crossly. Yoh looked up at her. She had a savage look of triumph on her face. Slowly he stood up to face her.

"Did you take his pills?" He asked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw an unfamiliar person kneel next to Hao and put their hand on his forehead.

"What if I did?" Anna challenged.

"He needs those, Anna." Yoh said pleadingly. "He could get really sick."

"Would serve him right." Anna countered with a sniff. Yoh had no idea what to do, if he couldn't convince her... Suddenly someone pushed in front of him and right up into Anna's face. Yoh blinked at the young woman just a few inches taller than him with the brown hair cut in a very short pixie cut now nose to nose with Anna, her fists clenched at her sides. If he hadn't been able to tell she was female, he would have thought she was a boy in her grey board shorts and black t-shirt.

"I think you aught to give him the pills." She said. Her voice was lower than Yoh expected, and was as cold as ice.

"This is none of your business." Anna hissed at her.

"I'm making it my business." The girl replied. Another person, this one a young man with shaggy blonde hair, edged forward, towards the girl. "I'm gonna give you to the count of ten to give back those pills. If you don't, I'm going to put you in a submission hold and let Chris rifle through your bags." She jerked her head at the blonde boy.

"You wouldn't dare." Anna said. The girl cracked her knuckles.

"Try me, bitch." She said quietly. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." At ten her arms shot out and for a moment the two girls wrestled but Anna soon found herself unable to move, caught in the girl's grip. The boy, Chris, ambled up and began searching through Anna's stuff while Anna struggled uselessly, threatening him. Chris found the pills and handed them to Yoh.

The girl let Anna go. Anna swung around, eyes blazing, one hand raised. The girl looked down at her, and Yoh saw that her eyes were an icy blue-grey. "Hit me and I'm going to hit you right back." She said in a deadly calm voice. "I do not put up with bullshit, especially from an uppity little 15 year old." For what he thought was the first time ever, Anna backed off.

Yoh went over to Hao and forced a painkiller and an antibiotic pill down his throat. He pulled one of Hao's arms around his shoulder and lifted him to his feet. The blonde boy, Chris, did the same with Hao's other arm, so that he was supported between the two of them. It was a testament to how out of it Hao was that he didn't complain about a human helping him.

"That was..." Yoh commented as they helped Hao upstairs. Chris grinned, his bright blue eyes lighting up. Yoh noticed his nose was crooked, like he'd broken it a number of times.

"Oh Kate? Yeah, she can be a bear sometimes." His voice sounded a little like he had a stuffed nose or something. "Should see her tackle someone, it's great."

"As long as I'm not on the receiving end." Yoh replied, laying Hao down on the futon. He'd chosen the room beside his, so that he could easily check on his brother. "Thanks." Chris shrugged broad shoulders. He was at least half a foot taller than Yoh.

"No problem." He said. Yoh smiled and the two of them left Hao to his rest. Yoh wondered how he would be able to keep an eye on Hao when no one was around...

~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Star: Review plz!


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing but this plot and my crazy-ass OCs, so on with the story.

"I still can't believe Anna backed down." Horohoro said quietly as he and Yoh prepared dinner.

"She'd already put her in a submission hold." Yoh reminded him. "And did you see her eyes? She looked ready to kill Anna."

"Scary." Horohoro commented. They both looked up at some strange sounds coming towards them. They seemed to be yells, sound effects of some kind and the smack of plastic against plastic. Kate and Chris came into view, battling each other with plastic lightsabers that made sounds as they were swung. What the-?"

Chris looked at Horohoro's voice and Kate took the opportunity to 'stab' him in the chest. Chris stared at the lightsaber for a second and then sank to his knees, pretending to die in a very loud and dramatic fashion. Kate lifted her lightsaber and performed a silly little victory dance. Yoh chuckled at the sight.

"I'm guessing you two are Star Wars fans?" He asked.

"Whatever would give you that idea?" Chris asked cheerfully, getting to his feet. He poked Kate with his lightsaber, making her hiss at him. "We're geeks and proud of it." Kate nodded her agreement, collapsing her lightsaber and hooking it in her belt, revealing the Star Fleet symbol belt buckle she was wearing.

Yoh left the stove and walked over to the two of them. Horohoro wouldn't understand what he was about to do next. "I wanted to thank you for helping me out with Hao, earlier." He said. Chris shrugged his shoulders and Kate smiled. "I was wondering if you could help me look after him, Hao, I mean."

"Like how?" Kate asked.

"Make sure he's not being mistreated, mostly." Yoh explained. "You saw how Anna was with him already."

"Don't think he'll like that much." Chris pointed out. "We can try, but if he gets bitching at me, I'm just going to walk away."

"I guess I could." Kate said. "I only helped because he looked so sick, I don't like seeing people suffer. But if he's healthy... I'm not going to give him special treatment, but if I see something I don't like, I'll step in if I can."

"That's all I ask." Yoh replied. "I know that I'm kind of setting you guys up to be outcast-" They snorted.

"Our group in high school was considered the weirdoes, we're used to it." There was a touch of bitterness to Kate's voice. Chris shoved her. She shoved back and it quickly became play-wrestling. Yoh shook his head and went back to the stove.

"Dude, if I couldn't tell she was girl, I'd think she was a guy." Horohoro said, gesturing to Kate, who was being held in a head lock and was swearing profusely at Chris while punching at his exposed side. Yoh shrugged and turned back to making dinner.

%&%&%&%

Hao woke up disoriented and with a pounding headache. His tongue felt too big for his mouth and caked in slime. He sat up slowly and opened his eyes. Damn, it hadn't been just a dream, he was definitely in Yoh's place, definitely without his powers and definitely without a plan to get out.

He stood up slowly, wobbling as a wave of dizziness overtook him. The wound in his chest began to ache as he moved around. He tottered towards the door, still weak from the blood loss he'd experienced, his fever and the effects of the painkillers. He gritted his teeth and shoved all that down, attempting to walk normally.

He had to brace his hands against the hallway walls for support as he walked and it didn't take long for him to start panting from the exertion. "You know, Anna was saying how she's going to put you to work when you're up and about." A casual voice remarked. "If it were me, I'd be playing possum until you can actually walk without your legs shaking."

Hao turned his head to look in the open doorway he was in front of. He vaguely remembered the brunette from before. He scowled at her. "What makes her think I'll do whatever it is she tells me?" He growled.

"I dunno." The girl said dismissively. "She seemed pretty confident about it though." She went back to reading her book, pointedly ignoring him. He stared at her for a moment, his legs really were shaking. As much as he wanted to preserve his dignity, he knew it would be even more humiliating to collapse somewhere and need to be helped back to his room or something.

He turned around and slowly wobbled his way back to his room. His painkillers and antibiotics were sitting on the dresser and he took one of each, taking the glass of water that had been placed beside the vials and draining it in one gulp. It was warm and metallic tasting, but it quenched his thirst and eased the dryness of his mouth.

He went and lay back down on the futon, on his back to avoid causing more pain to himself. A couple minutes later he heard footsteps and then there was a knock on his closed door. "What?" He barked. The door slid open and revealed the girl again.

"Thought you might get bored and brought you something to read." She said, waving a black hard-cover book in the air.

"And why are you being nice to me?" Hao demanded suspiciously. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Just because..." She replied. Her cheeky grin revealed a chipped upper front tooth. Hao gave her a scowl, which only made her grin wider, the crow-feet at the corners of her blue-grey eyes deepening and a dimple appearing in her left cheek.

He inspected her critically, taking note of everything he could. She had a small face, randomly dotted her and there with freckles. The tank top she was wearing revealed the unfortunate farmer's tan and sunburn on her shoulders. She had full breasts, probably a C cup. She seemed to be a touch soft in the belly, not overweight, but enough to say for certain that she didn't have a flat stomach. Her thighs were somewhat fleshy, but her calves were strong. His eyes picked up a burn scar on her left forearm that looked like a backwards F and an older scar that ran across her right knee. A couple bruises dotted her calves and knees as well.

She knelt and slid the book across the floor to him. "You helped me earlier, human." He said, ignoring the offering.

"First off, my name is Kate, you call me by my name or I don't answer." She told him firmly. "Second of all, that was yesterday, you been sleeping for a whole day, lazybones. Thirdly, yeah I helped you, what of it? I didn't like the way that bitch was treating you, and I didn't like the way she was talking down to Yoh. She needs to be taken down a couple notches I think."

"And you think you can do that?" Hao demanded, disliking her cocky attitude.

"If I can make my younger sister, who happens to be a good half a foot taller than me and solid muscle, back down when we're fighting, do you really think that little stick bug can stand up to me?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow. "Anna might slap, but my sister punches, and kicks. I can give as good as I get, thank you very much."

Hao opened his mouth to ask something else, but then realized who, or rather what, he was talking to, and shut it again. He rolled over onto his side, facing away from the human female. She snorted, possibly amused or annoyed at his response to her, he wasn't sure.

"Well then, I'll leave you alone," She said. "You don't have to read it, but if you damage my book I'm going to kick your ass." She added as an afterthought. Hao bristled at the suggestion but said nothing. The door slid closed and he rolled back over and eyed the book that she'd left for him.

He picked it up, sure it would be some stupid romance, or worse, a supernatural romance. To his surprise the book was called Misery, and it was by Stephen King. He knew of Stephen King, knew that he was considered one of the best horror writers of his time and that there had at least been a few blockbuster movies made from his books, but he'd never read any of his works himself.

He went back and forth for a couple minutes, deciding if he wanted to read. On the one hand he was going to get bored waiting for his body to recover enough that he could walk without feeling like he was running a marathon after only a few steps and reading was always one thing that he liked doing. On the other hand, accepting might make it look like he liked the human girl and might be seen as an invitation for her to bother him more.

In the end he growled and opened up the book. It was the only thing he had to keep him from going completely nuts with boredom for the moment. How would she know if he'd read it anyways unless she walked in uninvited to find him reading? He didn't think she was quite that rude, she'd already been polite enough to knock once.

"I swear I'm going to get you for this, Yoh." He vowed in a whisper. "You're going to regret interfering with me, that I promise you."

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Star: Review plz!


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing!

An hour or so after Hao's encounter with the human girl there was another knock on the door. He shoved the book under the covers and laid down, in case it was Anna and the girl, Kate, was right. The door creaked open slowly.

"Hao?" Of course it had to be Yoh. Hao rolled his eyes and sat up, glaring at his idiot of a twin.

"Feeling better?" Yoh asked, apparently not fazed by his ire.

"I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't here." Hao growled.

"Tough," Yoh replied. "You are here, so you might as well deal with it. Sulking isn't exactly dignified for the great Hao Asakura, is it?"

Hao's temper snapped and he rose quickly to his feet, hands balled into fists, prepared to smack some sense into Yoh. Unfortunately his body was still not ready for that type of movement and he merely lurched forward, a wave of vertigo overcoming him. Hands caught him before he fell on his face and lowered him back to the futon. He seethed with rage and humiliation.

Yoh placed a hand on his forehead, checking his temperature. Hao swatted it away impatiently. "Well, your fever seems to be coming down at least." Yoh sighed. "I'd stay on bed-rest at least another day before trying to move around too much."

"Gee, did you figure that out yourself?" Hao asked sarcastically.

"There's no need to be belligerent." Yoh replied, still infuriatingly calm. "There's something else. I wanted to have someone to keep an eye on you, for your own protection, so..." he stepped aside and Hao's heart sank and his anger went up a couple notches simultaneously. The twin-tailed tabby cat spirit blinked at him benignly.

"Matamune." Hao said stiffly. "Of course."

"It's good to see you well, Hao-sama." Matamune replied calmly.

"I'll leave you to your rest." Yoh said and exited, closing the door behind him. Hao glared at the closed door. Damn that kid.

"I really shouldn't be surprised that you're betraying me again." Hao said to Matamune. "I don't know which is worse though, you as my executioner, or my jailer."

"That's a little overdramatic, isn't it Hao-sama?" Matamune asked. "I am here to make sure nothing happens to you, on Yoh's request."

"And I suppose I can't convince you to help me out of this?" Hao said without hope. Matamune did not agree with the things he believed in, he'd made that perfectly clear.

"I think that this could be good for you." Matamune replied after some hesitation.

"Having to live with a pair of idiotic humans is good for me?" Hao demanded angrily. Matamune shook his head at him.

"You should really rest." He said instead of arguing. "And though I have yet to encounter these 'idiotic humans' Yoh has informed me that they are quite... interesting."

%&%&%&%

Matamune sighed as he walked downstairs. "How'd it go with him?" Yoh asked, setting out plates for supper.

"I think I convinced him to rest, but he may have just been trying to get rid of me." Matamune replied. "You're not going to have any easy time with him. He'll resist everything."

"I know." Yoh sighed. A blonde haired boy walked in the living room and stopped, staring at him, wide-eyed.

"Hello, Chris, isn't it?" Matamune said politely.

"KATE, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU PUT IN MY COFFEE?" Chris bellowed.

"WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW?" was the bellowed reply from somewhere else in the house. Matamune couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"Yeah, we're a little crazy." Chris said with a shrug. A second later Kate took a flying leap down the stairs.

"What are you on about now, Chris?" She asked. Chris pointed at Matamune. She blinked at him a couple times.

"Oh god, who do you remind me of?" She asked herself, rubbing at her head. "Uuh, I know this... Oh! The Baron! From the Cat Returns!" She grinned widely. "Now there was a suave kitty-cat. How do you do, Mr. Cat?" She asked.

"My name is Matamune, and I do just fine thank you, young lady."

"Do I look like a lady to you?" Kate asked playfully, indicating her attire. She was wearing a loose t-shirt which proclaimed AND THEN BUFFY STAKED EDWARD; THE END and a pair of long jean shorts. Her belt buckle was the Batman symbol today.

Anna stalked in before Matamune could reply. "You're on breakfast duty tomorrow." She snapped at Kate. Kate snapped to attention and threw a salute.

"SIR YES SIR!" It was clear she was mocking Anna. She grabbed Chris and whispered in his ear. Chris raised an eyebrow and then nodded. "Actually, it will be me and Chris and we're doing brunch."

"You're doing breakfast." Anna repeated icily. Matamune watched the exchange with interest. It was clear from Kate's demeanor that she was not intimidated at all by Anna's wrath.

"Nope, brunch." She said cheerfully. "Our kitchen, our rules. You lot can sleep in tomorrow."

"They'll be up at regular time." Anna snapped. She failed to notice the devious look that passed between the two university students.

%&%&%&%

Hao sat up and groggily rubbed at his eyes. He looked out the window and frowned, the light from outside suggested it was already fairly late in the morning. Hao was not a deep sleeper, and the noise from breakfast and Yoh and his gang of idiots training or doing chores should have woken him up. Instead the house was eerily silent.

All the sudden there was noise. Not some cataclysmic shriek from Anna or a yell or anything like that. It was the sound of someone playing a cello, Bach's Cello suite 1 if he was guessing right. It didn't appear to be any sort of recording either.

He slowly got to his feet and was glad to find that his dizziness had abated. He headed for the door and walked down the hall. It was still a bit of an effort, but he ignored the persistent pain. He could hear other bedrooms doors opening and others wondering what the hell was going on.

He walked downstairs and stared. Kate was sitting on a chair, a cello between her knees, just playing her heart out. Her eyes were closed and her head tilted back a little, an ecstatic expression on her face. She was lost in the music and enjoying every second of it.

Hao saw the rest of the household come down out of the corner of his eye. Kate finished up the song and looked up, grinning widely, her cheeks flushed. "How's that for a wake-up call?" She chirped, obviously pleased with herself. She leaned down to put the cello back in its case, patting it once affectionately.

"You reset all our alarm clocks!" Anna accused.

"Now, isn't that a little paranoid?" Hao looked up at the blonde boy who was carrying a large plate full of pancakes to the already food-laden table. There was bacon, breakfast sausage, French toast, scrambled eggs and a bowl of chopped up fruit.

"I think she believes we're out to get her, what do you think, Chris?" Kate drawled. "Clocks down here were flashing too, must have had a power outage or something. Happens all the time in the summer where we live, just a quick second when the system's overwhelmed."

"Hmph." Anna wrinkled her nose at the spread of food. "This was not what I had in mind for breakfast."

"Tough titties." Kate replied, parking herself at the tables. "Our kitchen, our rules." Chris sat down too.

"If you all don't sit down soon, we're gonna eat all of this food without you." Chris told the frozen shamans. "Trust me, she can pack it away like nothing you've ever seen."

Kate elbowed him in the ribs and he retaliated by whacking her over the head lightly. Hao rolled his eyes and sat down as far away from the humans as possible. Chris noticed his glare and crossed his eyes at him. If only Yoh had killed him, Hao thought to himself.

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Star: I LOVE CELLOS! Honestly I've recently discovered their awesomeness thanks to The Piano Guys on youtube (look them up!). I just had to put one in! Review plz!


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

Chris hadn't been kidding about Kate being able to pack it away. She'd eaten her shares at other meals, but it was clear that she loved brunch and ate multiple servings of everything. "If you didn't eat so much maybe you could lose a little weight." Anna said snippily, sipping daintily at her tea. Kate paused and eyed her, then patted her belly.

"A little cushion for the pushin'." She replied with a leer. Chris snorted and choked on the bacon he was eating. It took a moment for Yoh to understand what she meant and then he let out a guffaw. The rest of the guys either snickered or looked confused. "I'm not overweight, and I like food. Don't see why I should compromise my love of a good meal just to be a skinny little nothing like the media seems to think girls ought to be."

"And your boyfriend?" Horohoro asked. Chris and Kate looked blankly at him and then each other.

"Oh, dude, no." Chris said, looking horrified. "That'd be like dating my brother."

"Don't you mean sister?" Yoh asked in confusion.

"Nope, Kate's practically a guy." Chris slung an arm around Kate's shoulders and grinned. "We even forget sometimes she's actually a girl."

"And you like that?" Horohoro said, staring at Kate in disbelief.

"I've hung out with these guys since I was ten years old, what does that tell you?" Kate grinned.

"So, you're available?" Ryu asked eagerly. Yoh couldn't help but roll his eyes. Ryu came off as a little too desperate sometimes. He watched as the smile froze on Kate's face and faded. A hard, guarded look replaced it and though she wasn't scowling she seemed angry, or upset.

"No." She said tonelessly. Ryu blinked.

"But-"

"No." Kate repeated, her voice firm and cold and her eyes like chips of blue ice. Ryu settled back, looking unnerved.

"It's a shame mom couldn't be here." Yoh commented, trying to break the awkward silence. Keiko had been ordered back to Izumo and had left that morning.

"Oh, we got to her before she left and she took some pancakes with her." Chris answered. Kate was silent, staring at her plate. She then pushed away from the table and went to the kitchen. They heard the sound of running water and the clink and clank of dishes being washed.

"What was that about?" Ren demanded. Chris shook his head.

"Can't tell you, not my place to tell." He said firmly. "I wouldn't ask her either, she's never talked about it with anyone, she's not going to open up now."

%&%&%&%

Hao had been largely ignored over 'brunch'. He'd not eaten much, there wasn't much there that wasn't what he considered 'modern Western crap'. He'd had some eggs, some fruit and one piece of French toast, only because it had been whole wheat. He tried to slink back upstairs without being noticed, but it seemed that his luck had run out.

Someone grabbed him by the ear and swung him around. He bit down on his tongue, suppressing a yelp of surprised pain. He wasn't surprised to be confronted by Anna's smug face. "What?" He snapped.

"You have chores." She told him in an infuriatingly smug tone.

"What makes you think that I'm going to be your little slave?" Hao hissed, narrowing his eyes. He wasn't scared of Anna, and she knew it. Her cocky smirk widened a touch.

"If you don't do it willingly, I've modified one of your old spells to make it so that if I activate it you won't have a choice. You'll do exactly what I say." The savage triumph in her eyes told him she knew she had him cornered. It was perfectly possible that she could modify his spells in that way, and frankly being unable to say no to anything she told him to do definitely wasn't an option Hao wanted.

"Fine." He growled, vowing once again to kill Yoh for this. "What do you want me to do?"

"Laundry." Anna replied simply, and then stalked off, probably to torture Yoh.

"Damn him." Hao growled out. He headed up the stairs to find all the laundry hampers and bring them down. He brought down three and had to stop for a second, breathing hard. He then determinedly stomped back upstairs. The human boy's, Chris, was next. He was about to open the closed door when a voice behind him spoke up.

"Whoa, you probably don't want to go in there." Hao turned and glared at the blonde. Chris put up his hands. "Just saying, it's kind of a mess."

"I'm supposed to be doing the laundry." Hao growled.

"Let me get what's dirty then." Chris offered, sliding around him and opening his bedroom door. To say it was messy was an understatement. Hao couldn't even see the floor underneath the clothes, graphic novels, game cartridges and other miscellaneous objects that littered the room. Chris went around, picking up random articles of clothing, sniffing a couple and tossing them in the hamper. He then handed the mostly full hamper to Hao, who took it wordlessly.

After about ten more minutes of hauling he found himself staring at the washing machine, completely at a loss. "Just ask someone." Matamune sighed, seeing him struggling. Hao made a face. No, his pride had already taken too many blows already.

"Well, the first thing you wanna do is sort your clothes into colours." Chris' voice said from behind him. Hao glared at him. Chris ignored the glare and pulled out a bunch of laundry baskets from by the washer. "General rule is reds and like-red, lights, darks and whites." He said, starting to sort one of the hampers into the baskets. Hao watched him for a moment and then reluctantly helped. "if it's just one person's stuff you can usually go colours and whites only, but it works best if you do separate colours."

"And how do you know about laundry?" Hao demanded in such a way to suggest that it was all beneath him.

"First year me and Kate shared an apartment." Chris explained. "You think she was gonna do my laundry for me?" He grinned, but Hao just stared at him, stony-faced. "Next step is pretty easy, you keep the washer settings on either colour or whites, pretty self-explanatory." Chris patiently explained where to put the detergent and how much and then got the first of four loads going. "And now you just wait. It's nice out, so when they're done don't bother with the dryer, just hang it all up outside. You can cheat and double-pin stuff like socks and underwear to save room."

Hao grunted and turned away from the now rotating washer. He might have been grateful for the human's help, but that didn't mean he had to show it. It seemed like Chris didn't care either way as he just meandered on off upstairs again.

Hao went upstairs too, in order to wait out the washer. The sound of it was easy to hear, even in his room, so he would know when it was ready. He picked up the book Kate had given him, and remembered that he was finished. He chewed at his lip as he looked at it. He didn't want to sit and do nothing, but he didn't want to ask...

"Hao-sama, you need to learn to let go of some of your ego." Matamune suggested politely. Hao glared at him and then at the book again, wishing he could burn it. Maybe she wouldn't be in her room and he could just take another book. He reluctantly walked out of the room with the book and peeked inside Kate's room.

"Yes?" Just his luck today, she was in. He stood there, lips pressed in a thin line, his pride and boredom warring with each other. "Come on, I don't bite."

"HA!" Chris barked from his room.

"I only bite you and that's when you try to put me in a head lock!" She retorted. Her eyes flicked down to the book he was holding. "Tell you what, so long as you promise to bring them back when you're done, you can come in here and borrow my books any time. How's that sound?"

Hao glared at her suspiciously. "Why would you do that?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"I would give everyone the same option if they wanted." She replied. "I'm not treating you any different than I would anyone else." She informed him, looking amused. Hao huffed, but went over to the bookshelf as she went back to doing whatever she was doing with her laptop.

The shelf was stuffed full of books of all kinds. He found The Odyssey in with a Winnie the Pooh book, a book on tornadoes cover-to-cover with one of the Harry Potters. The only genre that didn't seem to be in attendance was romance. He replaced Misery and had a look at the other Stephen King books she had, finally settling on the Stand.

"That's a good one." Kate informed him as he chose it. "One of his best in my opinion. Enjoy."

Hao said nothing and headed back to his own room. "Was that so hard?" Matamune asked. Hao eyed him disdainfully and sat down, flipping open his new book.

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	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Hao was in a bad mood, which wasn't unusual. His bad mood had stayed with him all week and only gotten worse as the days went by. It increased when Horohoro made a crack about him being Cinderella while he was hanging out the laundry, and had just gotten worse and worse each time Anna ordered him to do some new chore.

His lone source of amusement, oddly enough, was the two humans' pranks. They'd only pulled off a couple, like the rubber-band-around-the-sink-sprayer and the fake-rat-in-the-fridge gags, but the reactions they'd gotten made even Hao's terrible mood lift for a little while. Watching Kate grin after one of their 'attacks' it was easy to see why Chris would every so often refer to her as 'Cheshire'.

It was an obscenely hot day, which didn't do much for Hao's mood either. With his powers he would have been perfectly comfortable, but now his t-shirt was sticking to his sweaty skin...it was not fun. Matamune attempted to help by walking through him a couple times, but it was only temporary relief. Knowing warm air rose, Hao decided to abandon the relative safety of his room and head downstairs.

Chris was sitting on the couch, playing some video game. Hao watched him quietly. He didn't understand the draw of them at all. Chris turned and noticed him watching. "Wanna play?" He asked, holding up one of the controllers. Hao huffed.

"As if I would play that stupidity." He sneered haughtily.

"Well, not everyone can play them." Chris shrugged, turning back. He had to be as even-tempered as Yoh was, never rising to anyone's bait. Hao bristled though at the implied suggestion that he could not play. He cursed his own pride as he stalked over to the couch and sat down, taking the controller and eying the buttons.

Chris gave him a crooked smile and ran him through a brief tutorial on the game, Soul Caliber 2. Chris enticed him into a game of versus, in which he found himself being completely trumped, though he gave his best fight. When the final KO came, he threw down the controller in disgust.

"Not bad." Hao jerked his head around and found Kate standing with her elbows braced on the back of the couch behind them.

"I lost." Hao pointed out angrily. "How is that 'not bad'?"

"You lasted longer than most noobs. Better than me when I first started out with video games." Kate replied. "You learn quickly." Hao felt himself puff up a little bit with pride. "Now, shove your butt over, it's my turn." She climbed over the back of the couch and wedged herself between Chris and Hao, taking Hao's controller.

She and Chris then demonstrated what happened when two people well-versed in video games played a versus battle. It was titanic, with much swearing and yelling going on from both teens. Neither of them was giving an inch and it could have been anyone's game. Kate wound up winning by only a tiny margin, but that didn't stop her from crowing her victory.

"Does that mean it's my turn?" Hao asked nonchalantly. He wanted another go at it after watching the two of them play. He thought he had a better grasp of some of the attacks.

"Why don't we play Melee?" Chris suggested.

"Yeah, that way we don't have to take turns!" Kate agreed excitedly.

"Melee?" Hao asked as the two of them got up and began disconnecting the game console and connecting a different one.

"Super Smash Brothers Melee." Chris explained. "Same sort of idea, but you can have up to four players going at each other at once."

"Oh." Hao said.

"It's easier than Soul Caliber, less combinations, but it's fun." Kate told him, handing him a new controller and sitting down. After a minute or so explaining how to play they were at it again. Chris and Kate mostly focused in trying to take each other out, swearing and trash-talking playfully all the while. After a couple games Hao started getting the hang of it and even knocked each of them out a couple times. He was quite competitive by nature after all. He was really feeling he was getting a good grasp on it when the front door slammed and the sound of someone breathing hard intruded.

Chris paused the game, frowning slightly. Kate turned around in her seat and then her eyes widened. Hao turned around in time for her to vault off the couch and run to a sweating, red-faced and glassy-eyed Yoh just as he collapsed.

"I'll get the doctor." Chris yelped, running for the stairs. Kate laid Yoh on the ground.

"Hao, can you please get me four cloths or towels soaked in cool water and a glass of lukewarm water?" Hao stayed where he was until Kate raised pleading eyes to him. "Please, we need to cool him down." Hao put aside his dislike of his twin and hurried to the kitchen to do as she asked. He could hear her talking softly to Yoh, telling him to stay awake.

He hurried, sensing that this was indeed really serious. When he came back he found that Yoh had been stripped down to his boxers, which had been pushed down to just above his groin and Kate had his head in her lap.

"His clothes were getting in the way of the sweat evaporating off his skin and cooling him down." Kat's voice was clipped, professional. She placed a cloth around each of Yoh's wrists, one just above his groin and one on his forehead, making the only partially conscious teen gasp softly. She lifted his head slightly and tipped the water down his throat, murmuring to him softly.

"Honey, how long have you been outside?" She asked him. Honey? Hao wondered at that.

"Don't know, did twenty miles though." Yoh answered in a slurred voice.

Chris came running back downstairs with the doctor in tow, just as Anna came in, bellowing Yoh's name angrily. Kate left Yoh and stood up facing Anna. Her eyes were so cold they burned.

"Are you trying to kill him?" She asked in a deathly calm voice.

"Excuse me?" Anna demanded, looking insulted.

"Answer the question." Kate snapped.

"Of course not!"

"Oh, so you're just stupid then?" Anna opened her mouth angrily, but Kate didn't allow her to speak. "Because only someone stupid would send someone out in 40 degree (Celsius) weather TO RUN TWENTY FUCKING MILES!" Her voice had risen until it was almost a roar. "Do you have any idea of how dangerous that is? He could have collapsed."

"You're over-"

"Is heat stroke overreacting?" Kate demanded. "How about brain damage, or possible permanent disabilities, or maybe, death? You could have fucking killed him by sending him out there, you stupid bitch!"

"He needs to keep training!" Anna yelled defensively.

"So send him to a gym, or create an indoor training regime. It's not that hard to do." Kate snarled. "You need to get your head out of your fucking ass and learn to get over your blatant disregard for everyone else but yourself before you do some real damage."

Anna stared at her, mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. Kate shook her head, looking disgusted and deliberately turned her back on the younger girl, going back to Yoh. After a moment Anna marched out of the room without a word.

"Didn't have to do that." Yoh muttered woozily, sitting up while being supported by Faust.

"Hun, you could have died out there." Kate told him gently. "She needs a wake-up call and it seems like I'm the only one with enough balls around here to do it." She ruffled his hair gently. "How's he doing, doc?"

"He seems to be alright." Faust said. "You did all the right things. I'm going to put you on bed rest for the duration of the day, Yoh. Drink lots of water."

Yoh nodded and Chris helped him to his feet and up the stairs. Kate sat down on the couch and rubbed at her temples. "Hun?" Hao asked her incredulously. She glared at him and then sighed.

"I have a protective momma instinct for younger kids that I like. That includes teenagers." She explained. "She really could have killed him and that knowledge made me very angry." She ran her fingers through her short hair and Hao noticed her fingers were shaking. It seemed she'd been scared as well. "Thank you, by the way, for helping out so willingly." She told him gratefully.

"If anyone's going to kill that idiot, it's going to be me." Hao informed her tersely. Her eyebrow arched.

"Aannndd zero to creepy in oh-point-five seconds, thank you, goodnight." She got up. "I need to calm down, play my cello for a bit, see ya." She ran up the stairs, tripping up the stairs and banging her knee as she did so. After a moment Hao heard the strains of cello music wind their way through the house. He shook his head and decided to continue where he left off reading.

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Star: It is possible to trip up the stairs, I've done it so many times XD. Review plz!


	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

Matamune watched the rain pour down as he read his book and listened to Hao cursing softly to himself as he played one of the video games he'd been introduced to. He was in training mode, trying to get better with the characters so he wouldn't lose all the time. He'd gotten much better, but Chris and Kate had years of experience backing them up and still beat him every time.

Matamune thought it was an interesting way for Hao to work out some of his anger issues by being able to fight something without actually doing real damage. It seemed to distract him from his predicament because, as with anything he'd ever done, Hao threw himself into his newfound hobby with a nearly single-minded determination, though he did his best to hide his interest when anyone else was around.

Even when he was playing against Chris or Kate he wasn't very friendly about it, just playing the game and not getting into their antics of trash-talking and swearing. They didn't seem to mind and if it wasn't for the fact that their characters were trying to kill each other, it was like they weren't even playing the same thing. Heaven forbid Hao seem like he actually enjoyed spending time with humans.

It was in moments like this, when there weren't that many people around, that Hao would indulge in his new obsession. Yoh and his friends were registering for high school, Chris, Kate and Ryu had orientation at the university, and Faust had managed to find a job at the local hospital.

Matamune couldn't help but shake his head at his former master's pride. It had gotten him in trouble already, but of course he didn't see that and continued to be insufferable to everyone who caught him in a bad mood, which was most of the time.

Thunder boomed and Matamune's ears picked up the sound of the front door. "...get you dried off, shall we?" Kate's voice was soft, almost a whisper. Matamune, knowing he was being cliché by being curious, put his book down and went to investigate.

A trail of wet footprints and drips led into the kitchen, where Matamune found Kate standing there, soaked to the skin, holding something in her arms and talking softly to it. "Ahem." He coughed politely. Kate jumped and whirled, looking startled.

"Matamune! Oh, good. Exactly who I wanted to see." Kate's smile was bright, though a touch worried. It was then that the little bundle held in Kate's arms moved and let out a little mew and Matamune realized that she was holding a tiny, soaked black kitten. "I could use a little help with this little guy, I'm not really sure-"

"The first step would be to get him dry and warm." Hao's dry voice said behind Matamune. Kate made a face at him.

"Well, I never would have guessed." She said sarcastically.

"Give him to me." Hao said, holding out his hands. Matamune watched Kate hesitate, but then her face turned thoughtful and she held out the tiny kitten. It mewed quite loudly as Hao cradled it in his large, graceful hands. He pretty much ignored both Kate and Matamune and took out a towel to begin rubbing the kitten down.

Matamune watched him, seeing him relax and his features smooth out. He noticed Kate watching as well, a faint smile quirking up the side of her mouth. She quietly left the room, leaving a trail of little puddles in her wake.

Hao inspected the kitten as he dried him, confirming that the tiny creature was male. He looked as though he were old enough to be weaned. The little creature protested his vigorous drying with loud, high-pitched mews. Hao absentmindedly rubbed him under the chin, prompting a very loud purr. Big, pale green eyes blinked up at him as the kitten wrapped his front paws around Hao's wrist, rubbing his head against his hand.

"I called a vet." Kate said, coming back down in dry clothes with an umbrella.

"What do we need a vet for?" Hao asked, sounding offended.

"Can you or Matamune tell if he's got kitty cancer or other diseases that aren't immediately obvious?" Kate asked. Hao remained silent. "I just want to get him checked out to see if the little guy needs special care. I called a cab for us as well."

"Us?" Hao repeated. Kate gestured at the kitten, who was chewing contentedly on Hao's thumb.

"He seems to have attached himself to you, probably be easier if you come along to keep him occupied and calm." Kate said pragmatically. Matamune had to admire her reasoning. Hao couldn't argue with that kind of logic. Of course Hao grumbled and growled about it, but he eventually it agreed that it was for the best.

Kate held the umbrella over both their heads as they went out to the cab. Matamune was unbothered by the rain, being that he was a ghost and merely walked behind. The kitten was surprisingly excited by the cab ride, staring out the window and mewing happily while attempting to catch the raindrops that slid down the outside of the glass.

The vet was a little bit busy when they got there, so the four of them sat down to wait. Kate immediately began to fidget, jiggling her leg around. Hao looked at her, annoyed. "Must you do that?" He demanded.

"Do what?" Kate asked. Hao gestured at her leg. "Oh, I can't help that. I get really antsy when I have to wait for something." She reached over. "My turn to hold the baby." She said, plucking the kitten out of Hao's hands. The kitten batted at the dangling strings of her hoodie, chewing on one. "Ooh, you're a feisty little fellow, aren't you?" The kitten mewed, seemingly in agreement. "Noisy too!"

They finally were called in and the kitten kept trying to scurry back to Hao while on the vet's table. "Well, he's certainly a healthy little fellow." The vet commented, holding the squirming kitten and running his hands over the thin frame. "A little undernourished but I can't find anything else wrong with him. Probably was a pet before someone decided he was too much trouble."

Kate thanked and paid the bill and they walked out. Chris was waiting with a beat-up old car. "I called him to grab the car from Faust so we could get the little guy everything he needs." Kate explained. "One of us will have to pick up Faust later, but c'est la vie."

Hao didn't like the idea of going into the big pet store, but Matamune was amused to see Chris and Kate bully and shove him until he walked, more or less unhappily, with them inside. Hao held onto the kitten while Chris and Kate chattered to each other, and Matamune about the kitten's needs.

When they were finding themselves taking too much time to debate about toys for the kitten Matamune could see Hao was reaching the end of his patience and tactfully suggested they head home. They agreed and somewhere along the line the argument turned to one about children's movies, how, he wasn't sure, but it was amusing to listen to, in any case.

"You know what?" Kate said, turning around in her seat to look at Hao and the kitten. "There were these kids books I used to love to read, about a black cat named Spooky. Do you remember those, Chris?"

"I think so, wasn't there one about a goat with three horns?"

"Yeah! Anyways, our little guy looks like Spooky." Kate grinned. "What do you say, Spooky?"

The kitten meowed loudly, as though in agreement. "That's a stupid name." Hao protested. Matamune snorted; he personally thought it was a sweet name, and not too cutesy like some cat names.

"Don't see you coming up with any names." Kate pointed out, grinning cheekily. "Besides, it's a fitting name. There's lots of 'spooks' in the house, so it's a spooky house, which makes him a spooky cat, right Spooky?" The kitten, Spooky, mewed again.

Hao looked annoyed, but the name seemed to have stuck, whether he liked it or not. They got home and Hao set down Spooky to let him explore his new home. "You know what, he's technically your cat, so if you don't like the name Spooky..." Kate said as she set up the litter box.

"You, and he, seemed to have already decided." Hao huffed. "And why is he mine?"

"Like I said, he seems to like you best." Spooky proved her statement right by winding around Hao's ankles, purring loudly. Hao picked him up and promptly had his thumb bitten, only lightly though, so it wouldn't hurt.

"I think Chomper would have been a good name for him too." Chris quipped. "Figures you'd wind up finding a cat as crazy as you are." He informed Kate.

"Hey, my insanity is your fault." She told him. Hao ignored their good-natured bickering, scratching Spooky under the chin and around his ears. So it wasn't a terrible name and it did fit the motif of black cats being supernatural. He looked up to find Kate staring at him, an amused and tender smile on her face.

"You have a really nice smile." She said in a wondering tone. "You should use it more often."

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Star: Review plz!


	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh walked in the house, chatting with Manta about some of their classes. A little streak of black raced at him and collided with his ankles. Yoh blinked and looked down into pale green eyes. "Mew?" The jet black kitten asked.

"A cat?" Yoh asked, picking up the tiny scrap of fur. It promptly started chewing on his shirt sleeve. "Hey!"

"Oh, you've met Spooky." Chris said, walking by. "He's Hao's cat."

"Why?" Anna demanded. Chris shrugged.

"He likes Hao best." He explained. Spooky squirmed and Yoh put him down. Spooky skittered off, swatting at Chris' ankles as he went by. "Should have named him Psycho." Chris commented drily.

"Why should we allow Hao to have a kitten?" Anna demanded.

"I don't see why it's a problem." Chris replied, completely oblivious to Anna's rising anger. "He's responsible for him, so you won't have to worry about him."

"He's right Anna." Yoh said, jumping in before Chris could get hit. "If Hao's willing to take care of the kitten, it shouldn't really matter." It might be good for him, having something to take care of. Yoh had a feeling that a lot of Hao's anger had to do with the fact that he had no control over his situation anymore and it scared him. Having the responsibility of a pet might help him settle.

"Fine, but if that animal destroys anything, it's gone." Anna growled ominously. Yoh nodded his head and headed upstairs. He poked his head in Hao's room, finding Hao reading a book while stroking Spooky.

"Spooky?" Yoh asked with some amusement. Hao looked up and scowled.

"Not my idea, but it stuck before I could think of something else." He explained, sounding annoyed.

"Aww, it's not a bad name. At least it's not something stupid, like Blackie." Hao snorted in contempt at the thought. "Where'd you find him?"

"I didn't, Kate did. And somehow she got the idea he should be mine." Hao explained dismissively. "Doesn't matter to me either way." He added, rubbing Spooky's head.

"Well, he seems to be quite comfortable." Yoh commented. "Try to keep him out of trouble, Anna's not real happy and will be looking for any excuse to get rid of him."

"Of course she will." Hao muttered angrily, hugging Spooky closer to his chest. It looked like an unconscious move on Hao's part to Yoh.

"I'll be siding with you on this one, on one condition." Hao looked up, frowning suspiciously at Yoh. "You've got to promise me you'll take care of him, that he'll be your responsibility and no one else's, okay?"

"I know that already." Hao snapped. "I'm not stupid. What the hell do you think 'mine' means?"

"I'm just making sure." Yoh said peacefully. "I'm sure you'll take good care of him." He added, trying to appeal to Hao's pride. Hao huffed, but his mouth twitched upwards slightly. Yoh left him alone, moving to close the door.

"Keep it open." Hao ordered. "Spooky likes to wander."

"Okay." Yoh agreed, surprised that Hao was willing to forgo his privacy so easily. He left Hao alone, shaking his head slightly. A polite cough drew his attention down. He smiled at Matamune. "What do you think of Hao's new pet?"

"I think it will be good for him." Matamune replied, confirming Yoh's own thoughts. "He was always a lot calmer when I was around when I was alive. If I had stayed with him..."

"Don't beat yourself up about it Matamune." Yoh comforted him. "You didn't know what to do, and could never imagine that it would turn out the way it did in the end."

I suppose." Matamune said.

"Think about it this way, you're helping him now." Yoh said hopefully. "If all goes well, we save him in the end, right?"

"True." Matamune said thoughtfully. "But he's going to fight you every step of the way."

"I know that." Yoh replied grimly. "But I have to try."

%&%&%&%

"Who's a cutey-pie?" Kate cooed, cuddling Spooky. Hao rolled his eyes at the human girl. Why did females insist on being so gooey over cute little animals? Spooky seemed to love the attention though. The kitten mewed at Kate and squirmed, demanding to be put down. Kate did and Hao was glad to see that Spooky immediately ran into his lap, purring contentedly. "He's your cat alright." Kate observed with amusement.

Yoh padded into the living room and smiled at them both. Hao glared; it wasn't his fault that Kate had decided to plunk her butt on the couch and play with Spooky. "It's dinner time, by the way." He said. Hao got up, cradling his kitten in one hand and headed for the table. Kate trailed after him. Hao somehow managed to get himself sat beside Kate, to his annoyance. He'd avoided doing since he'd gotten here, and all the sudden it had happened.

He ignored the small talk, feeding Spooky small tidbits underneath the table. A bony elbow nudged him. He scowled at Kate, who grinned, revealing her chipped tooth. "He's going to get chubby." She commented playfully. Hao sighed internally; this was what he got for playing video games with them. Now they thought he was their friend.

"It's none of your business what I do with my cat." He snapped. She blinked at him.

"I was joking around, you don't have to bite." She whispered back. "Although that does seem to be one of your greatest talents." He opened his mouth to argue, but instead watched as Kate slipped Spooky a small piece of fish.

"Now who's making him fat?" He asked. Too late he realized it seemed like a joke.

"Best be careful, someone might actually think you like the nasty human." Kate teased, amusement gleaming in her eyes. Hao huffed in reply.

"Guys, I've got something serious to discuss." Hao rolled his eyes at Yoh's statement. What possible 'serious' discussion could Yoh have? "Hao, this involves you." That got his attention. He looked up, finding everyone staring at him. He growled in irritation. "Next week we go back to school, and Faust is working, so you'll be alone in the house."

"Oh good, some peace and quiet." Hao said.

"I don't think you'll enjoy it much, actually." Yoh said, shaking his head. "You'll be alone all day, nothing to do basically, you're going to go stir-crazy." Yoh paused. "I think you need something to occupy your brain, right? I'd thought about signing you up for high school with us..."

"Oh god, why not just throw me into a pit of lions and be done with it?" Hao snapped.

"That's the reaction I figured I'd get." Yoh admitted. "But that still leaves us with the question of how to keep you occupied while we're all in school." Hao had to admit that days alone did sound pretty boring to him.

"I think I got an idea." It was Chris who spoke up. "What if he comes to class with me or Kate? No one's going to know he's not actually a student." He suggested. "We're in university, so you'll be listening to some interesting stuff, I'm in architectural design with a minor in English and Kate's in Environmental Science. You'll have to deal with being around people both on the train and in class, but I think it's a good trade-off."

"Oh do you?" Hao snapped.

"It's not a bad idea." Kate said thoughtfully. "You're an intellectual, you should like learning things." Hao had to agree that being in a learning environment, especially a university, sounded pretty appealing. He just didn't like the fact that the idea was coming from a human. What choice did he have though? He would be bored out of his mind.

"What about Spooky?" He demanded.

"Most of the time we're not gone all day." Chris assured him. "But most pets are pretty self-sustaining. I'm pretty sure Grover just loafs around and raids the fridge when we're gone all day."

"Grover?" Hao repeated.

"Big old black lab, blind but incredibly smart." Kate explained. "Scared of squirrels though for some reason." She looked at Hao. "What do you say? Do you think you can handle being among the enemy for the sake of not letting your brain turn to goo?"

Hao just knew he was going to regret this, but... "Fine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(~~~~~~~~~~~~~(~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Star: Review plz!


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

Hands shook Hao awake. He snarled and hit out. "Nice try, it's school time, time to wake up." Chris' voice told him cheerily. Hao opened his eyes and blinked at the clock that had been put in his room, despite his protests. It was 6:30 in the morning. He glared up at the grinning blonde.

"If you want breakfast, I'd suggest getting up, getting dressed and coming downstairs soon." Chris informed him. "Kate and I can and will eat everything before you get a chance."

Hao grumbled but got up with a yawn. Chris left him to get ready on his own. He still couldn't believe he was doing this, going out there, surrounded by all those humans...the thought made him shudder. The other option, staying inside all day with little to do, was just as repulsive to him, however, and he was willing to squash some of his disgust in order to avoid crippling boredom.

Spooky mewed at him as he got ready. "Sorry, Spooky, you can't come with me today." Hao told his pet softly. Spooky tilted his head and then attacked Hao's bare ankles playfully. Hao shook his head at the tiny kitten's antics and headed downstairs. Chris handed him a plate with a piece of toast and some scrambled eggs. Hao ate it quickly.

"Want some tea?" Kate asked, sipping at her own. Hao nodded and was handed a mug of wild raspberry tea. He sipped cautiously at it.

"Alright, so we remember the plan, right?" Kate asked through a mouthful of toast. "I get you in the morning and after lunch Chris gets you, right?"

"That was the agreement." Hao muttered, slipping Spooky some scrambled egg.

"Alight, we're out the door in another five minutes to catch our train." Chris said, looking at his watch. Kate did the dishes and then they hurried out the door.

"Ah, just smell that fresh air." Kate joked as a truck rumbled past, belching out foul-smelling exhaust. "Makes you feel alive, doesn't it?"

"It makes me feel like gagging." Hao muttered in reply.

"Man, you really need to grow a sense of humour." Chris commented, elbowing Hao. Hao glared at him.

"I'm being held captive by my idiot brother, in a house full of people who despise me, trapped with a pair of humans." He replied bluntly.

"All the more reason." Chris insisted. "If you can't find at least something to laugh about, you're just going to be miserable all the time and drive yourself mad."

"If you believe what people say, I'm already mad." Hao retorted.

"Are you?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well living here hasn't helped my sanity any." Hao said. He hadn't intended it to be funny, but the two humans snickered appreciatively.

"Yeah, most people's sanity can't stand up to us." Chris admitted with no remorse whatsoever. "What's that grin for, Cheshire?" He asked Kate, who had a huge, brightly crazy grin on her face. She shook her head, eyes twinkling impishly. "You got something up your sleeve and I think I'm going to like whatever it is."

"I'll tell you later." She said as they headed onto the train. "Wouldn't want to spoil any surprises." She grinned wickedly. Hao resolved to stay far away from her for a little while when they got home. He'd learned that smile usually meant someone was going to get pranked.

The train ride was a mess and horrible in his opinion. It was early enough in the day that everyone was still rushing around trying to get to work and the train cars were packed with people who were all either stepping on his feet or shoving him around. His mood was incredibly unpleasant when they finally got off at the campus.

"Catch you in the caf later Chris." Kate said, giving Chris a high-five as they parted ways. Kate and Hao walked quickly across the campus and into the huge auditorium. There weren't very many people in there yet and Hao expressed his surprise at that. "Well we're about 25 minutes early for class on the first time slot of the day." Kate explained, walking along the rows, seemingly searching for something.

"What? Why are we here so early?" Hao demanded. He could have slept a little longer?

"I'm a little neurotic about being on time." Kate admitted. "The thought of being late gives me the shakes. Plus in a big place like this you gotta be early or you're not going to get a good seat." She finally picked a spot in a row in the exact middle of the auditorium, the seats right on the center divider lane for traffic. Hao had to deal with people trying to climb over them to get to their seats for the next several minutes.

"Wonderful spot." He said sarcastically. Kate pulled up the attached desk top on her seat.

"These are the only spots with left-handed desk tops." She explained. "Sorry, but it's a pain in the ass to try to write on others." Hao had forgotten that Kate was left-handed. She took out a notebook and a pen, scribbling on the first page to make sure it worked.

The annoying chatter died down when the projector screen was lowered and the professor started talking. Though Kate diligently wrote down everything that was said and all the examples given, it was clear she was bored out of her mind. Hao, however, was fascinated. Math was easy for him, and this was really a new kind of math that could be actually applied to something useful. He listened carefully, wishing he'd brought paper and pen so that he could remember all this later.

"Well, that was torture." Kate sighed when they got out.

"Then why did you take it?" Hao asked snidely.

"I have to." Kate admitted with an unhappy sigh. "I have requirements to meet if I'm going to get my degree and physics is one of them."

"I don't see how physics fits into, what was your program again?"

"Environmental science." Kate said with a touch of pride. "It has to do with things like discharge of rivers, movement of glaciers, stuff like that." She waved a hand dismissively in the air. "I can't stand the material though; I'm not a maths person."

"Don't have the brains for it?" Hao mocked. Kate gave him an unimpressed look.

"I can tell the species of any number of creatures just by the sounds and the signs they leave behind and I can classify leaves into species in almost an instant." She informed him. "Most people, mister genius, are not good at everything and must choose what they are good at and what they enjoy as a career. I am looking to get into conservation, not physics."

"Conservation?" Hao asked as they headed into another building.

"You know, making sure creatures don't go exist and that ecosystems don't fall apart." Kate replied, sitting down at a computer in a room full of individual computers.

"Why are we here?" Hao asked.

"No class until 1 for me, so I've got time to dick around on the computer before we go to lunch."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Hao demanded. Kate rummaged in her backpack and pulled out a thin book. Hao took it and frowned at the cover; Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It looked like a children's novel. He raised an eyebrow at Kate.

"It's the first thing I could think of." She said defensively. "It's the first of a very good series." Hao opened it and looked at the age group for which it was intended and his eyebrow arched further. "The first few are quite simple, but as the series progress the ideas become more complex. The books grow with their audience, clever eh? They're very good, just try them." Kate sighed.

Hao shrugged, not much else he could do anyways. He started reading and surprisingly found himself entertained by the book. The characters were clever, the descriptions spectacular and the settings were fantastical and yet seemed like they could actually be real.

"I got a question..." Kate said. Hao looked up at her, sighed and gestured for her to continue. "How come you call Yoh your 'other half'?" Hao glared at her suspiciously, but there was only frank curiosity in her blue-grey eyes.

"That's what he is." Hao replied shortly. "A part of my soul was placed into his body when we were still in the womb." Kate stared at her computer screen thoughtfully.

"But that doesn't mean he's that anymore." She said. "The soul evolves, it's the deepest part of who were are, and who we are is always changing. I'm not the same as I was a couple years ago and I doubt Yoh is the same as he was as a newborn. So, it just doesn't make sense to me."

"He's not whole, can't you see that?" Hao demanded. "He's... missing parts. He can't even hate. Doesn't that say something to you?"

"I don't think it's that he can't, I think it's that he won't." Kate replied. "He loves, doesn't he? There's often a fine line between love and hate, two sides of the same coin you could say. I think the fact that he doesn't hate is something that should be worked for. I mean, where has your hatred gotten you, really?"

Hao bristled at the careless remark. "And what of you, don't you have anyone you hate?" He enquired. Kate was silent for a moment, her posture stiff. Hao had touched on something painful, but he wasn't about to back off because of it.

"There is one... one person who I would say I despise with every fiber of my being, but that's all I'm going to say about it." Kate told him fiercely.

"Why?" Hao demanded.

"Don't pry into my secrets and I won't pry into yours." Kate retorted. "I realize you don't like me, but you can at least return the respect I show you."

"Respect?" Hao choked.

"Have I ever forced you to do something?" Kate queried. "I treat you like everyone else, so of course you get subjected to some of my idiosyncrasies, but I do treat you with respect. Which is funny, because the two humans, whom you hate, treat you with respect, but most of the shamans do not."

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Star: Review plz!


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing!

Hao was playing Soul Caliber, as per usual. "Hey, man." Chris greeted him, sitting down. Chris watched him for a couple minutes. "You wanna try something new?"

"Like what?" Hao demanded, not looking away from the screen.

"Something with an actual storyline, maybe?" Chris suggested. "You want creepy and gory or adventurous and fun?" Hao snorted. "Creepy and gory it is then."

He stopped Hao's game and put in a new one. The screen came up saying 'Resident Evil 5'. "We'll shoot for who has to be the girl character." Chris said.

"Shoot for it?" Hao asked.

"Rock, paper, scissors." Chris explained patiently. "Rock is-"

"I know what rock, paper, scissors is." Hao snapped.

"Alright, no need to bite my head off." Chris said. He held out a fist. Hao reluctantly held out his and they shot for it. To Hao's dismay he lost. "Sweet, I keep my masculinity." Chris cackled. He saw the look on Hao's face. "Aw come on, don't be like that, she's just as good as the male character."

"Then why don't you play her?"

"Force of habit?" Chris suggested. "We do have to work as a team on this, so you're going to have to talk to me, and I'm going to have to talk to you. You gonna be okay with that?"

"Whatever." Hao grumbled. He would play nicely as long as the human did. He had to admit the game, while excessively gory, was fairly interesting, and Chris was quite willing to explain the whole premise of the Resident Evil franchise. He surprised himself by working quite well with Chris.

In the middle of the game all the sudden a furious shriek rang out from upstairs. Chris paused the game to prevent either of them from dying. Hao gave him a look. "What? I had nothing to do with this one." He said, navy-blue eyes wide. Hao couldn't tell if he was lying or not.

A few moments later Anna came stomping down in a bathrobe, soaking wet, covered in some purplish substance. Chris snorted in laughter. "Ahh, the old kool-aid mix in the shower head. A classic." He said appreciatively.

"You!" Anna screeched. "I'm going to-"

"Whoa, slow down girlie, I had nothing to do with this one." Chris interrupted. "Find Kate, though I have no idea where she's got to."

"You two have some kind of vendetta against me, don't you?" She demanded.

"That trick could have caught anyone, you were just unlucky enough to take the first shower." Chris said, his patience starting to wear thin. "All you gotta do is unscrew the showerhead, rinse it out and you're good to go."

"Go do that then." Anna ordered. Hao was surprised to see Chris scowl for the very first time.

"Do I work for you, do you pay me?" He asked. "No, so don't order me around like some slave. Do it yourself."

"How dare you?" Anna growled. Chris' scowl deepened.

"If you'd asked me nicely, maybe I would have done it, but you can't always have things your way, princess." He said snidely. He turned the game back on and ignored her.

"Asshole." Anna muttered as she stalked back upstairs.

"Bitch." Chris whispered. Hao raised an eyebrow at him. "She is. I don't think I've ever met anyone as antagonistic and selfish as she is. She needs a reality check."

"Or a swift kick in the behind." said Kate's voice behind them. "Having fun?"

"He's got good game." Chris replied. "Nice one with the shower by the way."

"Thank you. I admit I was hoping it was Anna who was going to get doused." She grinned wickedly. She was holding a large package in her hands. "We got mail from our families, Chris."

"Ooh, cool." Chris saved the game and scooted over on the couch to give Kate room. Hao rolled his eyes and waited. He wanted to get to the first 'boss battle' as Chris had called it. Chris and Kate ripped open the package, as excited as small children. Kate began to laugh at whatever was on top of the inside the package. "Oh wow, look at you three." Chris said, laughing heartily.

Hao tried curiously to glance over their shoulders. Kate grinned at him and held up a hand-painted picture frame with a picture of three girls showing off the braces on their teeth. One was obviously a younger Kate, and the other two were a long-haired blonde and a long-haired redhead.

"Those are me and my sisters." Kate said with pride.

"In all their goofy glory." Chris added with a snicker, digging further in the package. He came up with a package of candy, which Kate snatched away, prompting a brief wrestling match before the two of them turned their attention back to the package.

Chris pulled out a Van Halen t-shirt for himself and Kate got a Linkin Park one. "I'll be stealing that shirt from you." She informed Chris.

"Only if I can steal yours." Chris retorted with a smile.

"You'd cut off your circulation. Your brain doesn't need to be more oxygen deprived than it already is." Kate joked. Chris punched her in the shoulder lightly. "So, t-shirts, picture and candies, I'd say this is a good day."

"Yup." Chris agreed. "Now me and Hao are going to take down the first boss, if you don't mind."

"Go for it!" Kate said excitedly, getting comfy on the couch. "We should get him into Mario."

"Which one?" Chris asked, focused on the screen. "Watch your left, Hao."

"All of them."

"Not Mario Party, that turns people into screaming morons, and that's without alcohol." Chris said.

"Eh, Mario Party's a pain in the ass anyways." Kate admitted. "He'd probably throw something at the TV."

"Excuse me?" Hao said, affronted.

"It turns normal people into morons, what do you think it will do to you?" Chris asked with a smirk. Hao opened his mouth and then shut it. This 'Mario Party' sounded like some kind of mind melting monstrosity. "Besides, didn't we set them on fire?"

"Wait, did we?" Kate looked puzzled. "Oh yeah, when we burned the Twilight books one of my aunts got me for the Christmas exchange last year." Chris and Kate had a good snicker over that one.

"Why the hell would someone give you Twilight?" Chris asked, shaking his head.

"They don't see me that often, and I they're one of the ones that are always telling me I need to dress more femininely and I need to act like a lady and get myself a good Christian boy."

"Really?" Chris howled with laughter, nearly killing his character in the game. "Wow..."

"The worst part is, I can't be obscene when it happens because my grandparents would have heart attacks, so it's kind of just grin and move away as fast as possible." Kate rolled her eyes. "Thankfully the entire family is only together at holidays, so I don't see them much."

"You don't like your family?" Hao asked distractedly.

"Certain members of my dad's family are a little... nosy? Persistent? Gossipy?" Kate shook her head. "It's only a couple of them, but they can be so catty sometimes."

"You're not catty?" Hao asked. "What about Anna?"

"Fuck Anna, she don't show me respect I don't show her respect." Kate growled. "I mean with you I know you don't like us much, but most of the time you're at least somewhat respectful, even while you're growling and snapping at us. Anna just looks at everyone else like they're the scum of the earth and treats them the same way, if that makes any sense whatsoever."

"I get it, but then I understand what goes on in that wacky head of yours." Chris grinned, tapping Kate in the forehead.

"Well, at least I got something going on in my head." Kate taunted, sticking her tongue out at him. Hao rolled his eyes and focused on the game. The two of them were such children sometimes. They were preferable to deal with. The rest of the household, barring Yoh, who seemed to be trying to give him his space, didn't want anything to do with him. That thought raised a question.

"Out of curiosity, what do the others here think of you being kind to me?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Ug, they mostly don't talk to us." Chris said. "Probably because of you, maybe because of Anna, who knows. We don't care much. We were the outcasts in high school, our group." He said this with pride in his voice. Kate's lips twitched downwards slightly, but then she smiled. Hao decided not to ask.

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Star: Review plz!


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh watched his brother playing video games by himself with a small bemused smile on his face. It still amazed him, that Hao was so gung-ho about them, but then again he seemed to throw himself into everything with a stubborn determination.

He wandered over and sat down on the couch. Spooky, who had been using the ever patient Matamune as a jungle gym, mewed happily and hopped into Yoh's lap, clawing his way up onto his shoulder. "Crazy cat." Yoh muttered, rubbing Spooky's head happily. Hao ignored him, focused on his game.

"You know, it really surprises me you're so into this." Yoh commented.

"It's a way to pass the time." Hao replied shortly. "I'm surprised you haven't bugged me more often, so we're even."

"I'm not here to push you, and I don't want to get my head ripped off." Yoh said calmly. "That being said, what do you think of our resident humans?"

Hao was silent for a long moment, and he started to wonder if he'd crossed a line somehow. "They are more...tolerant of me than your friends are."

That was kind of a sore point for Yoh, that his friends were being so stubborn about this. A rift had developed between him and the others, because he'd insisted on Hao being here. They'd always trusted him before, why was now so different? Yes it was Hao, but still...

"Not quite what you were expecting?" Yoh asked slyly. Hao gave him a look.

"There's still time yet." He growled.

"Come on Hao, it's been like three weeks, they're not all the sudden going to be all nasty and ugly." Yoh said, shaking his head. "I think the fact that they can look past what everyone's said about you and just be your friend should say something."

"Friend?" Hao choked the word out, sounding surprised and disgusted. Whoops, thought Yoh. Just go with it.

"Is that so bad?" Yoh asked. "I mean, at least you have some people you can just... be normal with."

"I don't want to be normal." Hao retorted angrily. He threw down his controller in apparent disgust and stalked off. Spooky followed after him.

"You think I just screwed that up?" Yoh asked Matamune. The cat spirit shrugged.

"He'll probably be in a bit of a snit for awhile, but it could be good for him to be thinking about that."

"Yeah, let's just hope he doesn't decide he needs to start pushing them away." Yoh murmured thoughtfully. If Chris and Kate could get him to open up a bit, they could solve some of the problem with Hao at least.

%&%&%&%

Hao was not happy about the idea that the humans might consider him a friend. The idea was just distasteful to him. What worried him more was the small part of him that felt just the slightest bit... flattered.

He could hear Kate and Chris yelling at each other downstairs while playing video games. He had to find some way to deter them from thinking of him as a friend, without losing the option of going to the university with them. He would have to be careful about what he did.

He headed downstairs, thinking to make himself some tea to calm his nerves. He walked past the two humans quietly. "Your momma so fat, when she goes out in a red dress, everyone yells 'HEY KOOL-AID'!"

Hao stopped short, his brain trying to process what he'd just heard come out of Kate's mouth. "Oh yeah, well your momma's so fat, even Jabba the Hut says 'damn'!" Chris shot back. Hao stared, feeling anger starting to rise in his throat. What the hell were they doing?

"Oh yeah? Well, your momma-"

"Enough!" Hao snapped, his anger boiling over. "Why the hell are you being so blatantly disrespectful?"

Kate and Chris stared at him owlishly. "Dude, they're just jokes." Chris said.

"Jokes?" Hao repeated in disbelief. Making cruel remarks about each other's mothers was a joke? "You've got to be kidding."

"Yeah, well your momma's so fat her Patronus is a cake." Kate said. Hao stared at her, fury choking him like bile. He spun on his heel and stomped off, before he could do something completely stupid.

%&%&%&%

Hao stared at the wall, furious beyond belief. He'd holed himself up in his room after hearing those disgraceful 'jokes' and felt like hiding in here forever at the moment. He had considered ripping apart the book that Kate had given, the second Harry Potter, but decided against it. Such petty revenge was something a human would do, not him.

He growled at a knock on his door. "WHAT?" He snapped. The door slid open a little and Kate peered in at him, looking self-conscious. "What do you want?" Hao demanded, turning his back on her.

"I wanted to apologise." Kate replied. Hao huffed and didn't look at her. "We were really just joking around with each other, but that doesn't excuse my behaviour. I saw that it was upsetting you and I still decided to bait you, and for that I'm sorry."

"Your so-called jokes are rude and uncalled for." Hao snapped.

"They're only rude if we're serious about them." Kate replied. Hao could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him. "Our mothers have heard us get into 'your momma' fights often and they think it's hilarious. I consider Chris' mom my second mom and he feels the same as me about my mom. Most of what we were saying anyways was silly stuff having to do with movies and books."

Hao was silent, refusing to look at Kate. He heard her sigh. "Alright, I'll leave you alone now." He heard her slide the door closed and turned around, facing the door, his expression ponderous. He wasn't used to being apologized for in such a manner, with true regret. He wasn't sure if he liked the feeling or not.

%&%&%&%

Much later he remembered that he'd wanted tea and ventured out of his room. To his dismay Kate was already in the kitchen at the stove. She turned and smiled awkwardly at him. "Do you want some?" She asked, indicating the tea pot in her hand. Grudgingly Hao nodded his head. She poured him a cup and leaned against the counter, sipping at her own tea.

"Got a question for you, if you're not still sulking." She said. Hao glared at her, but nodded for her to go on. "I got into an orchestral band at school, and I practice before class once a week and once on the weekend. What I want to know is if you want to accompany me for the before classes practice and come with me to class after, or do you just want to come to school later with Chris?"

Hao thought about that. As much as he hated waking up early, he did like the idea of basically being able to watch private performances of an orchestra. "I'll come to your practices." He finally said, spooning a dash of honey into his tea. "I would like to request a notebook as well." Kate raised an eyebrow at him. "For physics."

The eyebrow lifted a little higher and Kate grinned. "Geek." She teased. "Alright, but only if I can steal your notes for studying if I think they're better than mine."

Hao snorted, but nodded all the same. He would work on figuring out how to keep the idea of friendship out of the humans' minds later.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you got some mother issues, judging by your reaction earlier." Kate suddenly said. Hao scowled at her. "If you don't wanna talk about it, you don't have to. I'm just telling you what I think."

"I come from an era where our parents are to be respected." Hao said loftily.

"And I do respect my parents, unlike many kids my age, but that's partly the parents' fault." Kate replied.

"How?"

"No discipline." Kate replied. "If I was bad, I could expect a smack on the behind or some other punishment, but these kids these days could get away with murder because parents consider them 'little angels' and smacking them would be abuse."

"My mother's smacks were never abuse." Hao said indignantly. Too late he realized what he'd just said.

"Well, our moms had the same sort of idea I suppose." Kate said simply. "I got smacked and I still love my momma with all my heart, and I'll bet you do too." Slowly, swallowing slightly at the onslaught of old memories, Hao nodded his head, hardly aware that he was once again agreeing with a human.

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Star: Review plz!


	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing!

Hao let out a disgruntled noise as someone shook his shoulder roughly. "Hey!" A voice hissed above him. "Time to wake up."

"Go away." Hao growled, shoving his face deeper into his pillow.

"You were the one who wanted to come to my orchestra practice." The voice, which his sleep-fuzzed mind now recognised as Kate's, reminded him. He lifted his head and glared at the already dressed human. Truthfully, it was only his fault that she was waking him up in the first place. He sat up with a sigh and she smirked and ambled out of his room.

"You'd best hurry, Hao-sama." Matamune remarked. "She'll likely leave without you if you're not ready to go." Hao made a face at that, which made Matamune chuckle. Spooky wound around his ankles, mewing as he got ready to go and Hao scooped him up, letting him chew on his sleeve.

He headed downstairs, kitten in hand. Kate offered him a cup of tea when he got into the kitchen. He sipped cautiously; honey, just the way he liked it. He watched Kate tip in a little bit of honey and a dash of cinnamon to hers. She was munching on a bowl of cereal, which was not at all appetizing to Hao, but they would probably be leaving soon, so he didn't have much choice on what to eat. At least the cereal was not one of the sugar-coated, over-dyed brands that people seemed to love.

In no time at all they were headed out the door, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon. Hao looked back once as they were leaving, seeing Spooky with his paws up on the front window, watching them leave. He didn't like leaving the little kitten behind, but he had yet to figure out a way to smuggle him to class without being caught.

It was early enough that the train was fairly empty when they got on and the two of them could sit down. "I don't think I could do what you do." Kate commented out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Hao asked. "And where's your cello?" Kate rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"You think I'm going to drag that thing around on a bus?" She asked. "It's expensive and weighs a ton. I use a loaner at the school for orchestra stuff. And I mean, coming back, reincarnating yourself, I don't think I could do it."

"Don't think you could handle the pressures of dealing with a new era?" Hao demanded haughtily.

"No, I don't think I could deal with going through puberty again." Kate replied calmly. She grinned at Hao's blank look. "I mean, it's not so bad for you, because you're a guy, but for me as a girl, having to get my first period again, what a nightmare that would be. And even for guys, you get all awkward and pimply. Not exactly the image a man who is much older than he looks and demands respect would want, right? How old have you gotten in your lives, anyways?"

"I was late thirties to early forties in my first life." Hao replied.

"You've got great skin for such an oldie." Kate joked. Hao felt his lips trying to tug upwards into a smile, but he resisted. "Aww, you need to learn to laugh more, you'll live longer." Hao made no comment to that. "Still say that coming back takes a lot of guts."

"If going through some discomfort growing up is what it takes for me to reach my goal, then so be it." Hao said stiffly.

"You mean destroying us." Kate clarified. Hao avoided looking at her, and nodded slightly. "Give it a couple centuries, we'll do ourselves in."

Hao looked at her, startled. "What does that mean?"

"Rampant population growth, destruction of the natural ecosystems, global warming, possible restart of a glacial period, take your pick." Kate replied. "We'll probably get into some of this stuff as we get further into ecology. If we can't get our shit together and try to do something about the way we consume we're in big trouble."

"Take down most of the natural world with you though." Hao muttered angrily, staring out the window. Matamune, standing on the floor, gave him a look of worry.

"True..." Kate said thoughtfully. "Suppose that's where I come in, trying to preserve the natural world we have, fighting for it, I suppose. But if we were to all go, I think quick and all at the same time would be the best, at least for species not dependant on human beings."

Hao hadn't thought of that. The pets, the vermin that fed off garbage and other human wastes, and even those animals in the zoo; they would all die if left alone. The thought that he had left something out of his plans, and that a human had spotted that flaw, unsettled him. He said nothing to that effect, however.

"They would be dealt with." He said casually. Kate looked at him, her blue-grey eyes staring into him, as though she suspected him of holding back. This close he could see that there was a splash of greenish-hazel around her pupils. The quiet spell was broken when the train announced their stop.

Hao walked beside Kate, the two of them not speaking, each thinking their private thoughts. Kate, although blunt and annoyingly nosy, was perceptive, which he admired a little bit. He would have to be careful about what he revealed around her.

He was brought into an auditorium. "Pick a seat." Kate told him. "And try to behave." Her eyes danced with laughter at his indignant look. She certainly liked to tease him. She sauntered up to the front of the auditorium and pulled a cello case from backstage, nodding a hello to orchestra members already there and sleepily getting their instruments ready.

Hao looked around the modestly sized auditorium. The seats were made of a soft-looking red material and the walls were patterned to look like Greek columns and stone statues. There was a large balcony and a couple of private theater boxes. The orchestra didn't set up in the pit, but on the stage itself, pulling out folding chairs as more people showed up.

Hao sat down in the nearest seat and watched the set-up. One boy began tuning the timpani, the deep booms reverberating through the auditorium. There was the high-pitched sound of someone testing their flute, and the bright noise of a trumpet. Hao's eyes settled on Kate, as the only one he knew.

She methodically checked over the cello before putting bow to strings and drew it across, coaxing a low, resonant tone from it. She nodded her head in approval at the sound and rested. She saw him looking and gave him a cheeky little wave. Hao snorted and looked away.

Matamune had sat down next to him and his ears were perked forward with interest. The cat spirit shared Hao's love of music, not surprisingly, as Hao had been the one to introduce him to the joys of music. As always, the thought of those happier times when he had a companion that he'd thought he could trust made the most vulnerable reaches of his heart clench with pain. Quickly he forced his thoughts away, as he always did.

The conductor gestured for quiet, finally. Hao realized that Kate had not participated much in the chatter of the other orchestra members. He filed the observation away as the orchestra was taken through a warm-up. Kate adjusted her strings fastidiously after the warm-up and shuffled the sheet music until it seemed to be to her liking.

There was a moment of silence as the conductor raised his hands. Hao could almost hear the intake of breath from every person in the orchestra. The baton came down and the auditorium exploded with sound. Hao, oddly enough, was more focused on Kate than the music.

As soon as it had started, tension he'd never noticed left Kate's body and she seemed to relax completely into the music. Her features smoothed out completely as she gave herself over to the music. She didn't look at the conductor, focused on her sheet music. Hao didn't see how she would know the cues, where to come in, where to fade out and all that.

The conductor waved his baton, signalling a stop. Immediately Kate's posture stiffened a little bit, something Hao hadn't noticed before, but now he was looking for it. When else hadn't he seen that Kate was not truly relaxed? She obviously hid it well, or perhaps it had become such a part of her that it was impossible to spot now.

Hao watched her loosen up again with the start of the music. He was confused; she always seemed so easy-going, so unconcerned and yet what his eyes were telling him was that at least part of that uncaring attitude was a facade. The question was, how much?

Hao gave up on his contemplation after a short time. He didn't know Kate all that well. All he truly knew was that she could be fiercely protective, contrary as a cat, a trickster, a steadfast friend, and non-judgemental. He had never thought about her as a person, really. He didn't like that his perceptions were changing.

He sighed and leaned back in the chair, letting the music wash over him. He emptied his mind and just listened for the rest of the practice. When it was over he waited for Kate to come to him, watching her check her instrument over carefully before putting it away.

"Well, what did you think?" She asked cheerfully, bouncing up to him. Hao took a moment to study her, seeing now the stiffness in her posture that he'd overlooked before. Her blue-grey eyes stared into his, waiting for an answer. There was a slight tinge of wariness in those eyes. How had he failed to notice so much?

"It was fine." He finally answered, noncommittally. "Don't expect me to gush like a school girl."

"Stick in the mud." Kate teased. "Come on, best be getting to class." She said, marching off.

"I hate people who are so cheerful in the morning." Hao muttered, following after her.

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Star: Review plz!


	13. Chapter 13

Star: I own nothing!

"I have a question." Chris raised an eyebrow at Hao, indicating that he could come into the room. Hao wrinkled his nose in distaste at the mess on Chris' floor. Spooky seemed to have no qualms about the disorder on the floor and padded over to Chris. Hao carefully picked his way through what he dubbed 'the minefield' and sat down without permission on Chris' bed.

"What's your question?" Chris asked, patiently allowing Spooky to climb up his back.

"I've noticed that Kate seems to be on guard all the time, never quite relaxed." Chris blinked, looking surprised.

"When did you notice that?"

"At the first orchestra practice." Hao replied.

"And it took you this long to work up the courage to ask about it? That was two weeks ago!" Chris snorted, chortling slightly.

"I was making sure what I was seeing wasn't just my eyes deceiving me." Hao said defensively. "It's very hard to tell unless you've really watched her relax into her music, but she does always seem to be tensed up."

"What's your point?" Chris asked impatiently. "You're not much different."

"What do you mean?" Hao demanded suspiciously.

"You're never relaxed, and it's so obvious to anyone looking at you." Chris replied. "Not to mention you're completely closed off from anyone else. I think me, Kate and Yoh are the only living people able to get near you without being snarled at."

"All they want to do is gloat." Hao muttered.

"Can't say I blame them much." Chris replied. "I've done that sort of thing before."

"When?"

"Can't say." Chris replied shortly.

"Secrets." Hao muttered in annoyance.

"You have your secrets, we have ours." Chris replied, allowing Spooky to climb all over him. "You probably know a little more about us than we know about you already."

"And what, pray tell, do you think you know about me?" Hao hissed. Chris shrugged, digging around under his bed. He came up with a slightly squashed pizza box.

"Only that you're competitive, really." He replied, opening the box and stuffing one of the pieces of pizza in his mouth. "Want one?"

"That's disgusting." Hao snapped and stalked out of the room. Chris' laugh followed him. Spooky ran out of the room, mewing for Hao to wait up. Without breaking stride Hao scooped him up and continued on his way. He stopped when he heard a growled curse from Kate's room. He backed up and looked inside.

Kate was sitting on her bed, surrounded by an open textbook, notebook and several pieces of paper. As he watched she viciously erased something on the page she was working on and threw her pencil down. She looked up then and saw him standing there.

"I give up." She informed him. "This makes no sense whatsoever to me."

"What doesn't?" Hao asked casually. He thought he had an idea though.

"This physics assignment." Kate sighed. Hao thought so; she'd had quite a bit of trouble with the questions. Experiments she seemed to do well in, but those were easier compared with the questions on the assignments. Kate let out a frustrated growl.

Hao took the assignment and looked at it, having a look at the calculations her hasty erasing hadn't been able to eradicate. "You're putting in the variables wrong." He informed her.

"Huh?" She looked at him blankly. Hao picked up the least chewed on pencil on the bed and began to explain while showing her the proper way to calculate. "Oh! That makes a lot more sense and makes the next one make more sense too." Hao tried not to smirk smugly and failed miserably. "Can you help me with the rest?" She pleaded.

Hao growled to himself, knowing he'd set himself up by helping her with the first one. But, the more he thought about it, helping her with her assignments and such would guarantee that he didn't have to listen to her freak out about getting a bad grade or possibly failing the course.

"Fine." He finally sighed, seeing her start to give him the puppy-dog eyes, which looked out of place on her normally impish face. "But I'm not going to just give you the answers, understand?"

"Fine by me." Kate muttered. Hao spent the better part of an hour trying to get her to understand what the question was trying to get her to do. It would have taken less time, but Kate kept getting frustrated and he had to coax her into taking another look at it without getting too frustrated himself. Finally they were done and Kate happily dumped her physics books on the floor.

"Thank you so much." She told him. "I'm so happy I could hug you." Hao felt his eyes widen in alarm.

"Don't-"

"TOO LATE!" Before Hao could react she'd flung her arms around him in a surprisingly powerful bearhug. He stiffened completely; fighting the urge to fight back against what his body was sure was some kind of attack. He stood there, eyes wide in shock, for the longest minute of any of his lives.

Finally Kate let him go and he didn't quite bolt from the room and from her amused laughter. "What's up with you?" Yoh asked. Hao snarled a curse at him, which of course didn't faze Yoh. "What's Kate laughing about?"

"She hugged me." Yoh took one look at Hao's outraged expression and burst out laughing. Hao ground his teeth; it seemed like everyone was laughing at him today. Yoh must have seen his expression because he quickly sobered.

"Most people would be thrilled to get a hug." He told Hao. "It means she likes you."

"I don't want her to like me." Hao muttered. Spooky pawed at his leg, mewing anxiously. Hao picked him up and stroked his back, quieting him. He looked up to find Yoh gazing at his sceptically.

"You say that, but I'm not sure you really mean it." Yoh informed him. "If you were truly adamant about not wanting her, or Chris, to like you, you wouldn't spend so much time around them."

"I spend time with them because it's better than being bored out of my mind, and I am polite so I don't lose those few privileges and wind up under house arrest again!" Hao snarled.

"I don't believe you." Yoh said bluntly. "What were you doing in Kate's room?"

"None of your business."

"He was helping me with physics!" Kate yelled from her room. Hao's head snapped around, but he was only able to glare at a wall, Kate still safe in her room.

"And yet you still claim you don't want her to like you?" Yoh asked. "I'm a little confused by your reasoning Hao."

"Of course you are, you brainless twit." Hao said, his voice dripping with distain. "I helped her because the thought of listening to her moan and bitch about failing her course gives me a headache and the urge to strangle someone."

"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" Yoh said with a little chuckle. "You might want to be careful about doing those sorts of things if you don't want her to see you as a friend though. Not everyone is as clever at figuring out those sort of motives as you are."

"Believe me, if any of you try to get too close, you'll be booted away." Hao promised him.

"Says the man that just let a human girl hug him. She's pretty strong because of wrestling with her friends for years, probably can't match you for physical strength." Yoh said with uncharacteristic smugness.

"I was taken by surprise, it won't happen again." He said sullenly.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Yoh said with a smirk. "She's pretty sneaky, and the fact that it bugs you probably will make her more likely to want to do it."

"Typical of a human." Hao said with a roll of his eyes.

"So you don't think that Anna is doing the same thing by ordering you around to do stupid little things?" Yoh asked. "The way you bitch about it makes it more entertaining for her. Face it Hao, they're not as bad as you want to think."

Hao merely gave him a poisonous look and stalked off to his room, muttering to himself. Matamune was sitting on his dresser when he got in and raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't you start." Hao warned.

"I wasn't going to say anything." Matamune said innocently. Hao snorted and sat down on his futon, picking up the book he'd left there. He was aware that his continued use of Kate's books was probably another indication that she thought he viewed her as a friend, but he couldn't help it; he hated being bored and he loved reading.

_So what if she and Chris like having you around?_ A traitorous part of him whispered. _You feel a little less harried when you're around them, don't you? How is that so bad? _He had to admit he did prefer their company to most other people he'd met in his life, including most of his followers, but then where did that lead him?

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	14. Chapter 14

Star: I own nothing!

Routines, Hao wasn't sure if he liked or hated them. On the one hand it was nice to know what was coming next, not having to plan, but on the other hand he felt like routines were just another cage for him. He hated cages, in all senses of the word, and hated being trapped, so he silently chafed.

Chris and Kate's pranks had petered off, though Hao suspected it was mostly due to the piling up of assignments and labs and the approaching midterms that did it rather than the two humans showing some form of respect. He guessed that once their exams were over and they had their holidays in December, the two hellions would have some new tricks up their sleeves.

He shut the book he was reading, inhaling deeply. It was the fifth Harry Potter book, and Sirius had died. He couldn't believe that she'd killed off Sirius, Harry's last chance for a family. He supposed he was reacting so strongly because of his own sad childhood, but he tried to shove that thought away. He got up and padded towards Kate's room. He shouldn't bug her, she was studying for physics, but she'd bugged him enough times, give her a taste of her own medicine.

"Hey." He said, walking into her room like he owned it. Papers with equations and definitions lay scattered on her bed, along with a couple of chewed on pencils.

"What?" Kate demanded, sounding a little ill-tempered. Hao waved the book at her.

"She killed Sirius." He informed her. Kate smiled slightly.

"If you think that's bad, wait until the next book." She told him.

"Why?" He demanded.

"I'm not telling." She said in an annoying sing-song tone. "What'd you think of Umbridge?"

"I'd like to set her on fire." Hao replied bluntly. He sat down on the bed absentmindedly.

"Yeah, that's the general consensus." Kate chuckled. "You're going to want to keep reading."

"Hmph." Hao snorted in reply. He looked around the room at the posters, the books, the clothes scattered on the ground and various knick-knacks he assumed had some form of sentimental value to Kate. He picked up a raggedy stuffed lion that was lying on the bed. "What's this?"

"That's Simba, he chases away nightmares." Hao didn't dare snort in contempt, not at how serious Kate's voice had been.

"What makes you say that?" Kate gently took the stuffed toy back and smoothed its fur.

"I haven't had a nightmare that I can recall since I got him. I figure that must mean something." She said with a shrug. Hao looked around again and picked up the picture sitting on Kate's night table. It was the one of her and her sisters.

"You look nothing alike." He commented. She looked up from her work at what he was holding.

"We are nothing alike." She replied. "We share some opinions, but our personalities are all different." She smiled. "It's made for some fun times."

"How different?" Hao asked curiously, unable to help himself. The intricacies of sibling relationships escaped him somewhat.

"Well... Bri, the blonde, she's the 'determined' one. If she sets her mind to something she'll see it done, no matter how much work it is. She's also got a wicked temper, but is quick to forgive. She wants to teach someday." Kate paused. "Alyss, the little redhead, she's our snarky one. Quick wit, sarcastic sense of humour, very mature for her age too. She's got a temper too, but she more simmers and sulks and plots and holds grudges. She writes, and she writes real good."

"And what about you?" Hao asked. "What are you?" Kate was silent for a long moment.

"The weird one?" She joked, then sobered quickly. "I never really thought of it, but... I suppose I could say I'm the 'confidante'."

"Why's that?"

"Because my sisters know they can tell me their secrets, and I'll just listen and not judge, and I'll never tell another living soul as long as I live." Hao raised an eyebrow at her. "It's true. There's some things I know about the two of them, and a couple of my friends, that no one else knows at all. Probably get lynched by Bri if I tried to tell anyone her secrets though."

"Well, I can see why you'd keep your mouth shut." Hao said. Kate guffawed and elbowed him in a friendly manner. Danger, his mind screamed at him. Don't let her get too close to you, you ruin everything you've been aiming for. Push her away now, find some way to make her realize you're not her friend at all!

He looked around the room, not allowing his panic to show, looking for something to use against her. "Such excess." He said, voice dripping with scorn. The scritch-scratch of Kate's pencil paused.

"Excuse me?" She asked warily.

"You claim to be interested in the preservation of the natural world and yet you have all these... meaningless trinkets that probably caused a lot of trouble for the environment."

"You never had anything that you hung on your walls and decorated your room with?" Kate demanded, not quite snapping at him. Good, she was getting mad.

"Mine weren't mass-produced in a factory." Hao pointed out smugly.

"Why are you all the sudden being an asshole?" Kate said.

"I am just pointing out-"

"No, you're just being an asshole, and I really, really don't have the patience for that right now."

"Your kind never wants to hear the truth." Hao sneered.

"Out." Kate said shortly. "Now. I have to study and you are breaking my concentration. Get out before I throw you out."

"You couldn't." Hao scoffed. She stared at him, eyes cold.

"Try me." She ground out. Hao decided that being literally kicked out of Kate's room would only serve to injure his dignity more. Kate followed him to the door and shoved him out, slamming it shut when he was out.

He should have felt satisfaction at succeeding, but he only felt empty. Then, he began to feel worried. What if Kate was mad enough that she refused to allow him to come to class or orchestra practice with him? For the first time ever, Hao Asakura began to suspect that he'd just made a horrible blunder.

%&%&%&%

Yoh was interested to see at dinner that Kate completely ignored Hao. It was almost funny in a way, if it weren't for the brief, confused-hurt emotion that crept into Hao's eyes as the meal progressed. Yoh caught Chris' eye, who shrugged, apparently clueless as to what had happened between the two of them.

After dinner he approached Hao, who was doing the dishes. "So what happened?"

"What do you mean?" Hao asked tonelessly.

"You and Kate, she's never that chilly towards you." Yoh said. "So, what happened?"

"I just told her the truth, she didn't want to hear it." Hao replied loftily. Yoh gave him a look.

"What exactly did you say to her?" He demanded. Hao paused and then told him the whole conversation. Yoh sighed and shook his head.

"I agree with Kate, that was an asshole move." Yoh stated. Hao gave him an ugly look. "You know that as far as consuming goes, Kate is very conservative. And for that matter I don't think you'd say no to a personal gaming system of your own along with some games, which means you'd be contributing to the problem too."

"That's different." Hao snarled.

"Sure it is." Yoh snorted. "You're looking for something to pick at, looking to push her away, but I don't really think you want to do it."

"Don't presume to understand me." Hao spat, though Yoh could hear a note of uncertainty in his voice.

"Kate is one of the few people who treats you with dignity, do you want to give that up?" Yoh asked. He stared into Hao's eyes. The elder looked away from him. "I think you do like her, but you don't want to admit it. You don't want to like a human, because if you like one, then maybe the rest of them aren't so bad after all, and that's why you want to push away from her."

"I want her to stop being so friendly to me because she is blunt, pushy, a pain in the ass-"

"And she treats you like a person, just like anyone else." Yoh interrupted. "Isn't that something, in a house where everyone else treats you like a leper, something that you want to hold onto?" Hao didn't answer him. "Sometimes you need to put your pride aside, Hao. You were in the wrong this time, and that means, if you want to continue to be on good terms with Kate, you should apologize."

%&%&%&%&%

The next morning Yoh woke up and headed downstairs to start on breakfast. To his surprise he found that Hao had beaten him downstairs and was preparing a pot of tea. "Hao?" Hao ignored Yoh, pouring the tea into a mug and adding honey and cinnamon to it.

A couple minutes later Kate padded into the kitchen, ever the early riser. Hao silently held out the mug to her, staring directly into her eyes. Yoh realized in that moment what the cup was. It was a peace offering, an apology. The question was, would Kate accept?

Kate stepped forward, staring into Hao's eyes. Yoh noted that Hao had grown, and was a good two inches taller than Kate now. The two of them silently stared each other down, and then Kate took the mug from Hao and sipped. Hao's face didn't change, but tension eased out of his body a little bit. Yoh resisted the urge to smile; maybe this wasn't such a futile mission after all.

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Star: Review plz!


	15. Chapter 15

Star: I own nothing!

Kate never brought up the argument after she'd accepted the mug of tea Hao had made. It was like it had never happened and Kate was her same old annoying, playful self towards him. Although, Hao found her ways a little less annoying now. The belching contest she and Chris were having though... yeah, that was still annoying. He was impressed, and a little disgusted, that Kate seemed to be winning.

"Oh god you're revolting." Apparently Anna agreed with him, without the being impressed part. Kate's response was a long, drawn out burp. Anna wrinkled her nose and stomped out of the room.

"Girl needs to get laid." Kate muttered when she was gone, taking a gulp of her can of Coke.

"You really want to torture Yoh like that?" Chris asked. Kate snorted and choked on her drink, coughing while trying to laugh. Chris thumped her on the back a couple times, which seemed to do the trick.

"You wanna try some?" Kate asked, holding out her Coke can to Hao. Hao wrinkled his nose. "Come on, live a little." Sensing Kate would probably just keep bothering him if he didn't he took the can and sipped carefully from it. It was not unpleasant. "Well?"

"It's fine." Hao said stiffly, handing the can back.

"There's more in the fridge if you want one of your own." Chris offered. "Good movie drink."

Kate and Chris had somehow convinced him to sit down and watch Batman Begins with them, despite his protests. He found, to his surprise, that he was actually enjoying the movie. It was intelligent and thought-provoking. He felt a little bit of an affinity for Bruce Wayne, whose parents had been killed when he was a child just as his mother had been killed.

"We should have a Harry Potter movie marathon one of these days." Kate commented. "They're not nearly as good as the books, but they're pretty good all the same, you know?"

"Hmm." Hao replied, trying to pay attention as Bruce Wayne spoke to Jim Gordon for the first time.

"That's Gary Oldman, he's an awesome actor." Chris said. "They got some good talent on these films."

It was kind of nice, just sitting here, relaxing and watching a movie. Hao felt almost as though he belonged, but of course he didn't. He didn't want to, and what would a pair of humans want with him anyways? They knew he didn't like their kind and that he'd done horrible things, he could belong nowhere, and he'd learned to be content with that.

"We need popcorn." Chris suddenly declared, hauling himself up off the couch to do so.

"About the other day..." Hao began.

"Hakuna Matata." Kate replied, waving off his explanation.

"Huh?"

"It means no worries, for the rest of your days," Kate sang out.

"It's our problem free philosophy, Hakuna Matata." Chris finished for her in the kitchen.

"It's from the Lion King." Kate giggled at Hao's lost expression. "Boy, we need to do a Disney marathon too." Hao snorted derisively. "If you behave we won't even tie you up and force you to watch the really girly princess ones." Kate added with a wicked grin.

"Ooh, good thinking, Kate." Chris said, coming back with a big bowl of popcorn and placing a can of Coke in front of Hao. "Live a little." Chris said at Hao's disdainful look. Kate, sitting in between Chris and Hao, was given the popcorn bowl to hold. Hao had a fondness of popcorn since his days as a Patch, five hundred years ago. If only the modern popcorn was not so greasy...

He was glad of the Coke in the end, the popcorn was quite salty and the bittersweet flavour of the Coke complimented it well. He could feel the looks, both confused and upset, being directed their way every time one of Yoh's friends walked past. It occurred to Hao that Kate and Chris weren't doing themselves any favours by treating him the way they did. Oh well, it wasn't his business what they chose to do, and if they got themselves into trouble for it, it wasn't his problem.

The movie ended with a hint at the next villain and Kate's assurance that the Dark Knight was 'kick-ass'. They decided to wait to watch it as Chris and Kate did still have homework to attend to that they had been putting off. They both were terrible procrastinators and joked that they'd learned it from each other.

Hao went up to his room to continue reading the Half-Blood Prince. "Have fun with the movie?" Yoh asked from his doorway. Hao shrugged his shoulders. "Getting along well again with them I see." Yoh commented. "Kate seems happy again at least."

"Like I care." Hao scoffed.

"If you didn't care, you wouldn't have taken steps to mend your relationship with her."

"My relationship with her?" Hao was aghast that Yoh had put it that way. "There is no relationship!"

"You're lying, and not just to me, but to yourself." Yoh told him sternly. "You do that you're going to tear apart at the seams. You like her company, you like the easy camaraderie she and Chris offer you, you like that they aren't judging you by what others have to say about you."

"You seem to think you know a lot about me." Hao hissed, making Spooky hiss with him. Inside he felt like a cyclone was going off in his brain, pulling his emotions this way and that. What Yoh had said had felt like truth to him, a truth he dare not admit.

"What are you so afraid of, Hao?" Yoh asked gently. "Why do you hold yourself back? The two of them haven't got it in them to be cruel, petty pranksters maybe, but never cruel."

"I learned very early on that I could only depend on myself, other people will only let you down." Hao growled. Spooky meowed in distress, rubbing his head against his master's knuckles. Hao petted him absently.

"And they'll only hurt you?" Yoh's voice was soft, but Hao felt as though it was louder than a thunderclap. How could he...? "I only have bits and pieces to go on, but from what I've seen of you, and what Matamune is willing to tell me, you've had some pretty bad luck when it comes to any sort of relationship."

"Stop prying in my life!" Hao snapped.

"It's not okay for me to interfere with you, but it's okay for you to interfere with me?" Yoh asked. Hao was startled to hear a note of anger in Yoh's voice. "That's kind of hypocritical isn't it?"

"Go to hell." It was a weak rebuttal, but Hao was at a loss of what else to say. Yoh sighed and came to sit down next to him. Hao purposely looked away from him; the soft, strange expression on Yoh's face made him ill at ease.

"I had said I wasn't going to make speeches, because I know that would piss you off, but I think it's necessary in this instance." Yoh sighed. "Try not to bite my head off."

"I'm not making any guarantees." Hao growled.

"You decided early on that trusting people was foolish, and stuck to that. You weren't afraid of the betrayal that you believed would be inevitable, but the heartbreak you were sure would eventually come if you allowed yourself to care about someone other than yourself."

"The last time I allowed someone into my heart, they left me, just when I needed them most." Hao shot a poisonous look at Matamune, whose ears wilted slightly in shame.

"And now he's trying to make up for his mistake." Yoh pressed. "Surely that counts for something?"Hao said nothing. "People don't always leave, I'm living proof of that. My friends have stayed with me through thick and thin, even now when they don't quite understand what I am trying to do, they at least trust that I know what I'm doing."

"You're different-"

"We're all different." Yoh replied. "Chris and Kate trust each other, don't they? For different reasons than my friends trust me too."

"And they're not me." Hao countered weakly.

"Come on Hao, quit being so stubborn." Yoh coaxed. "You're being foolish about this. It's not as though the two of them would have some ulterior motive for deciding to be your friend. They're well aware that you could be executed next August, they know you have no powers so they're not looking to get any of that, and they're not making any friends by being friendly with you."

"They've earned Anna's hatred and most of the others' suspicion." Matamune added. "I asked about it, and Chris had merely shrugged and said 'I'm not going to let what other people think change the way I think, and I think Hao's a pretty cool dude, even if he's a bit of an ass'."

"He actually said that?" Hao said, unable to believe it.

"I talked to Kate about it once, and she told me 'everyone else can fuck off, I can like who I want to like. Besides, he's kind of fun to be around, when he's not being a dick about something'." Yoh added. "See, the two of them obviously found something about you to like, and want to try and be your friend. The question is, do you have the courage to accept that?"

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	16. Chapter 16

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh was doing push-ups in the backyard when he heard someone come and sit beside him. "So, Hao's been a little less of an asshole in the last couple days, and I decided to see if you had anything to do with that." Kate said.

"I had a bit of a chat with him." Yoh gasped out. "Must have gotten him to think a little bit."

"Wasn't sure anything could get through that thick skull of his." Kate commented. Yoh let out a wheezy laugh. "I'd be dying after one of those push-ups. How many of those are you planning on doing?"

"Got fifty more." Yoh replied breathlessly.

"That girl of yours is a slavedriver. Would like to have you two switch places one day." Kate commented. Her voice was light, but Yoh could hear an undercurrent of anger. "Sure you'd enjoy the day off."

"Can't say I wouldn't." Yoh rolled over onto his back and sat up. "I have to say though, the training's paid off."

"You got a nice thing to say about everyone, don't you?" Kate said with a grin. "I like that about you."

"Seems to me, if everyone looked for the good and not just the bad, the world would be a friendlier place." Yoh said ponderously.

"And I can't even claim that you're innocent, because you told me about the hell you went through with the tournament." Kate added. "Anna doesn't realize what a gem she's got with you." Yoh was glad that his face was already red from his exercise, so that she couldn't see him blush.

"What are you two doing?" Yoh turned at the sound of Hao's voice. Hao's eyes flicked between them and narrowed.

"Ooh, do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Kate teased, her blue-grey eyes dancing merrily. Hao snorted.

"Me, jealous of that idiot?" He scoffed. "I don't see why someone with your intelligence would find his company even amusing."

Kate sighed and stood up, sauntering over to Hao and slinging an arm around his shoulders. Hao tensed up and gave her a warning glare, which Kate completely ignored. "You are jealous, because I'm hanging out with him, and not you?" Hao said nothing. "Just because I like him doesn't mean I've stopped liking you. I can have other friends."

"Friends?" Hao repeated, sounding a little uncertain to Yoh's ears. He'd had the conversation, but it was clear Hao still couldn't believe that Kate and Chris would view him as a friend.

"Why the hell do you think me and Chris put up with you?" Kate said. "You think we'd let you tag along with us to school if we didn't at least like you? Come on, that's what friends do."

"I wouldn't know." Hao said stiffly.

"Well, it's high time you learned." Kate said decisively. "Little late for it, I suppose, but what can you do, right?" Hao seemed to have no answer for that. She patted his shoulder in a friendly manner and released him before bouncing back inside.

"Not a word." Hao growled, giving Yoh a warning look. Yoh only shook his head with a smile and stood up.

"You seem to have been accepted into the group of the few people who she will touch and allow to touch her in return."

"What do you mean?" Hao asked.

"She told me she doesn't like being touched, except by people she trusts." Yoh told him. He went inside, leaving Hao alone to let that information sink in.

%&%&%&%

It was early morning on the train, but apparently not too early for a crowd of obnoxious teenage boys to be irritating. First they had made loud comments about Hao's long hair and how he might be a faggot, and then started making sexual remarks at Kate, who pointedly ignored them with a look on her face like she wanted to kill them.

"I really hate people sometimes." She said quietly to Hao. Hao just barely managed to hide his startled expression. Kate was discreetly eying the teenage boys, who were talking far too loudly for this early in the morning, with distain and almost hatred.

"Just in general?" Hao asked.

"All of humanity. Sometimes I think it would be best if we all just disappeared." Kate replied darkly.

"Why?" Kate snorted derisively.

"You think I don't see how badly we've screwed things up?" She demanded. "That's what my education is about, learning how to try and fix the things that we've screwed up! I don't even know if we can though, and that scares me a little bit."

"And what about them reminds you of this hatred?" Hao asked, jerking his head in the teenagers direction.

"That's the other half, the way we treat each other. That's where it becomes personal for me though."

"And you don't talk about that." Hao guessed. Kate shook her head. A tone sounded. "It's our stop." Hao said quietly. They got off the train, Hao pondering what Kate had revealed to him.

%&%&%&%

"Got anything to do tonight?" Hao lifted his head from his book and raised an eyebrow at Kate.

"Hmm, let me have a look at my intensely busy schedule." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Sarcasm as humour, it's a start." Kate said. She held up a ticket. "My orchestra has its first concert tonight, figured you might want to come." She informed him. "But, if you're too busy, I could always just try and sell it on Ebay."

"As if you'd get anything for it." Hao scoffed, standing up to take the ticket from her. He noted without surprise that he seemed to have grown a little more and now towered over her by a good four inches.

"Chris will drive you, I gotta go early and set up."

%&%&%&%

Hao disliked the fact that his quiet auditorium was now packed with chatting people. "Don't worry, it'll get quiet when the music starts." Chris told him. He looked somewhat awkward in a pair of slacks and a white dress shirt. He was certainly more at home in t-shirts and jeans. Hao was wearing something similar, but felt that he looked quite elegant in it. He'd definitely turned a couple heads when he'd walked by.

The dull roar of the crowd faded to a murmur as the orchestra filed out to take their places. Hao blinked and stared in surprise at the little knee-length black dress with the spaghetti straps that Kate was wearing. All the other orchestra members were similarly dressed, the men in black suits. Hao, however, had eyes only for Kate. It was simply because he'd never seen her in a dress before.

The music was every bit as beautiful as Hao expected it, but he could barely focus on anything but Kate in that little black dress. He and Chris made their way to the back to collect her after the concert. She was just finishing up with cleaning and checking over her cello when they got to her.

"Lovely music, as always." Chris complimented.

"Yeah, I just can't wait to get out of this dress." Kate replied with an annoyed frown.

"Kate hates dresses and skirts." Chris explained to Hao.

"For good reason." Kate said hotly. "Can't sit comfortably, can't climb trees, can't run around, can't wrestle. And the damn shoes you gotta wear with dresses are so damned uncomfortable..." Chris stopped her rant by sneaking up and tickling her under the arms, making her let out a high-pitched squeak.

Hao silently observed her as they walked out to the car. The bruises on her legs from wrestling and tripping over herself spoiled the illusion that she was an elegant young lady, but Hao found he was glad of that reminder. It was hard enough to wrap his brain around the fact that the young woman in the little dress was the same girl who routinely threw herself at Chris in flying tackles at home and sat sprawled on the couch playing video games while swearing enough to make a sailor blush.

They were all quiet on the way home. Hao managed to catch Kate as she was going into her room to change. "For what it's worth, even though you hate dresses, you do look good in them." Kate gave him a wary look. "I do my best not to lie, I think it's dishonourable." She stared up into his eyes all the same, searching for the truth. To Hao's surprise she moved forward and hugged him gently.

"Thank you." She said softly, stepping back. Her eyes seemed over-bright as she headed back into her room. Hao understood then; the insecurity she felt wearing the dress. He hadn't meant to make the comment, it had just popped out, teenage hormones going into overdrive, he guessed, but now he saw it was the right thing to say. So Kate didn't think that she was pretty enough for dresses; why would that be?

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	17. Chapter 17

Star: I own nothing!

Hao did his best to avoid Kate when he could for a few days. When he was with her he didn't initiate small talk and answered questions shortly in a monotone. Kate was obviously annoyed, but said nothing. He hated this time of his life, when his body wanted things that it had no business wanting. Thankfully he had yet to embarrass himself, but he wanted to keep it that way.

Unfortunately for Hao, fate seemed to be laughing at him today. It was a Saturday, and Anna had given in to Yoh's pleading to sleep in; she'd allowed them an extra half-hour. Kate and Chris had been up half the night trying to beat their newest Legend of Zelda game and were conspicuously absent. Anna, of course, had tried to wake them, but Kate had booby-trapped her door and Anna had gotten a water balloon in the face. She was still sulking.

As Hao was getting up to put away his dishes a joyous shriek rang out from upstairs. The conversation at the table stopped and Hao froze for a second. Moments later came the thunder of running footsteps as Kate careered down the hallway, tripping into the wall and jumping down the flight of stairs, a manic grin on her face. Before Hao could react he found himself engulfed in a powerful bearhug.

"I got an A on my physics midterm!" Kate yelled, nearly deafening Hao. "I couldn't have done it without your help, you brilliant physics geek!"

Hao was shocked, and appalled by Kate's reaction, especially since Yoh's friends were starting to grin at his expense. He felt angry and embarrassed and knew he had to do something to regain what was left of his dignity.

"That's all I am to you, isn't it?" He demanded angrily. The arms holding him captive released him and Kate backed up to stare at him warily.

"What are you talking about?" She asked slowly.

"You're just using me to make sure you get a good physics grade." It made sense, or so Hao told himself. She was nice to him because he could get her that grade.

"What? Have you gone mental?" Kate's tone was surprised and mildly offended.

"Oh stop pretending. There's no way that you could actually consider me as a companion." Hao scoffed.

"You do remember that Chris and I were hanging out with you before class even started." Kate argued.

"And you knew what classes you were taking, and you knew about me. Perhaps you felt my genius intellect could be of use to you so long as you managed to butter me up." Hao said, smugly certain about his logic. "So quit lying to me and everyone else." By this point Kate was staring at him like he'd grown another head.

"Seriously, what the hell has been up with you for the last few days? Are you PMSing? Because you're acting like a teenage girl on her period." She shook her head. "You know what, I'm not even going to talk to you until you get your head out of your ass again because I think I'm just going to wind up punching you in the face if I keep listening to you. Goodbye."

She pushed past him and a moment later Hao heard the front door slam. Hao snorted and continued on his way to the kitchen to start washing up the dishes. "If you were hoping to save your dignity, I don't think it worked." Yoh said, coming up behind him. Hao glared at him, but Yoh looking unimpressed. "If anything I think you just made yourself look foolish, and may have lost a friend."

%&%&%&%

Later on Hao found out what Kate had gone out for when he found Chris chowing down on a box of pastries. "Want one?" Chris offered, mouth full of food. Hao shook his head. "Suit yourself." Chris shrugged, taking another big bite.

"How come you're still talking to me?" Hao asked.

"What, you mean because of the fact that you insulted Kate?" Chris said. "It's not like we're attached at the hip, we make our own decisions, and I've decided to keep talking to you. We'll see if I'll keep talking to you." Chris swallowed his pastry. "I do find it amusing that you think Kate of all people is that devious."

"She comes up with some pretty devious pranks." Hao pointed out.

"Different kind of devious." Chris countered. "Come on, you've known her for two months. Does she honestly seem like the type to manipulate people like that?"

"Well..."

"Let me put it this way, a lot of teenage girls do think that way, but Kate is practically a guy, and we tend not to come up with such schemes. What you see is what you get with guys, we're generally not two-faced, and Kate's the same way."

"I still don't understand why she chose to call a group of solely males her friends. Does she have any female friends?" Hao asked.

"Couple of acquaintances, but she feels more comfortable around guys." Chris replied. "It was back in grade five, when we were ten that it started. Kate was a bit of an oddball because she loved to read and didn't talk about the kinds of things that girls talked about like clothes and jewellery and stuff like that. Me and the rest of the guys had this game where we'd take something from one of the girls and run away. They'd chase after us and we'd keep it up until they threatened to tell the teachers."

"That doesn't sound like a very nice game."

"What can I say, we were stupid kids." Chris replied. "One day we decided to do it to Kate, and I was the lucky sucker to try it. She was reading her book all alone in an out of the way corner on the playground. I snuck up and snatched her book. Next thing I knew I was on the ground with her on top of me. She told me if I tried to take her stuff again she'd tie me up with a skipping rope." Hao couldn't help but chuckle. "I told the guys what happened and the next day we decided to ask her if she wanted to play soccer with us. Picture this, a little girl in a yellow sundress and lacy white socks running around on a field with a group of boys. She tripped quite a bit, got a lot of grass stains on her dress, but she kept getting up and going after that ball with the rest of us. We were impressed and we wound up kind of adopting her into our group."

"And you've all put up with having a girl in your group?"

"She's one of us, for all intents and purposes, she's one of the guys." Chris said. "And let me tell you, there's no one I'd want having my back more, so I would do some real soul searching before deciding she's not your friend anymore."

"Why does everyone keep thinking you two are my friends?" Hao demanded. Chris' eyebrow lifted. "I mean-"

"I think I get it."

"Oh do you?" Hao growled.

"Hey, I may be a little slow on the uptake, but I do get it in the end." Chris said. "You talk to us, you voluntarily do things with us, and after a fight, we apologize. What do you think friendship is but just that?"

%&%&%&%

Hao stirred the cinnamon and honey into the tea. It was nearly eight at night, the time when Kate would usually come looking for a snack. The more he'd thought about the argument, the more he realized how stupid he'd sounded. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became and as much as he hated to admit he was wrong, he didn't want to give up his connection with Kate yet; even if she did embarrass him sometimes.

Right on schedule Kate waltzed into the kitchen. She stopped at the sight of him, eyes narrowing slightly. Hao silently pushed the mug towards her on the counter. She eyed it and then him, her look frank and considering. Hao met her eyes steadily, hoping he looked as sincere as he felt. Finally Kate took the mug and leaned against the counter, sipping from it.

After a couple minutes she broke the silence. "If you don't want to help me with my physics work, all you have to do is say so, and I won't bug you about it." She told him quietly. "I can go to the study groups on campus, or get a tutor. I just liked having you help me because you explain it so well and are very patient with me."

"No, it's fine." Hao said, shocking himself. "I only said those things because..."

"You were being a dick?" Kate suggested.

"...I was...looking for some way to preserve my dignity." Hao explained lamely.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad it's over." Kate said, smiling at him gently. The smile made his stomach do a strange flip-flop and he looked away quickly. What had gotten into him lately?

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	18. Chapter 18

Star: I own nothing!

November was fast approaching, along with more midterms for Kate and Chris. Neither of them seemed too concerned about them, or their various labs and assignments. Hao shook his head, but hadn't argued when Kate suggested they play their new Resident Evil game. They'd been stuck in a particular area for a few days and it was beginning to frustrate them both. Hao didn't mention that Kate should have been finishing her physics assignment, which was due in two days and Kate hadn't even started on it.

"I've figured out your little game." Anna's voice was an unwelcome intrusion to their play. She'd been leaving them both alone since the water balloon incident, but it seemed their luck had finally run out. Hao idly wondered what she was griping about now.

"Yeah? Well could you enlighten us, because we're getting killed here." Hao wondered if Kate really thought that Anna was talking about their video game, or if she was being purposely obtuse. It was hard to tell with her sometimes; she could be quite scatter-brained one minute and somewhat brilliant the next.

"I'm not talking about your stupid game, you stupid girl." Anna snapped. Kate paused the game and slowly turned to look at Anna, raising an eyebrow. Hao knew enough about Kate to understand the gesture as meaning 'game on'. "I'm talking about this little game with him." She glared at Hao, who gave her a blank look in reply.

"It's taken you this long to figure that out?" Kate said, opening her eyes wide in comical surprise. "And here you're always claiming you're smarter than Yoh. He figured it out ages ago, come on girl, you're falling behind."

By this point their little discussion had drawn a crowd; Anna was anything but quiet. Ren, Horohoro and Ryu watched discreetly as Anna's face grew red with anger and frustration at the cheeky university student. Hao wondered how far Anna could be pushed by Kate before she finally snapped.

"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Anna hissed. Kate had stood up and raised her arms in an 'I don't know' gesture, continuing to mock the younger girl. "You're just toying with him, you don't care about him at all. I know you want something from him, and you're playing buddy-buddy with him to get what you want."

"Are we talking about me, or you here?" Kate asked, tilting her head at Anna. "Because the only manipulative bitch I see around here is you." Anna smirked slightly.

"At least I'm not whoring myself out to him." Silence reigned. SMACK! The sound of a slap echoed through the room, but it wasn't Anna who had dealt the blow. Anna was staring at Kate, one hand on her cheek, eyes wide in what looked like terror. Hao was the only one that could see Kate's face and that her blue-grey eyes were so cold with fury that they burned.

Without a word Kate shoved her way past Anna, and a second later the front door slammed with enough force to rattle the decorative vase next to it. Yoh had shown up and was coaxing Anna into the kitchen, probably to ice her cheek. Hao stood up, using the confusion to put his shoes on and quietly slip out the front door.

He looked down after a moment of walking to see Matamune keeping pace. "I'm not running away." He said defensively.

"I am aware of that." Matamune replied. "You're far too intelligent to do something so rash. You are looking for Miss Kate, yes?" Hao nodded reluctantly. "I will be able to help you find her faster than you on your own could."

"That is true." Hao conceded. Matamune nodded and ran off, searching for the wayward human girl. Hao took the opportunity to wonder what he was doing out here. Certainly spending time with Kate was... well more interesting than holing himself up in his room, but did he really want to get involved in her problems? Didn't that send a message he didn't necessarily want to send.

He scoffed at the last thought. He'd already sent that message more than once by apologizing to Kate not once, but twice, and allowing her to use him as her own personal physics tutor. Besides, he was curious as to why Anna had been able to make her snap like that. She had not been angry in any way up until Anna had been slapped, so why had she been set off?

"I found her." Matamune said. "She's in the cemetery." Hao nodded his head and changed his course to take him to the cemetery. When he got there he saw a lonely figure sitting up at the little shrine on the hill. He walked up, hearing a soft sniff as he got close.

"Are you crying?" He asked, startled.

"No." Kate said defensively, though he swiped at her face all the same. Hao went and sat down beside her, making an effort not to look her in the face.

"So what was that all about?" He asked. Kate said nothing, just tore at the grass. Her silence bothered Hao, but it did make him think. "Your rejection of Ryu, the one person you hate but refuse to speak of, slapping Anna today, that's all connected somehow, isn't it?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Kate muttered. Hao pursed his lips; he was too close to solving this mystery to back off now. This was something big to Kate though, something she'd kept locked away. She wasn't going to trust just anyone to keep it that way. Hao thought about it for some time and the idea that came to him shocked him. Could he really do what he thought he should do? Did he really trust her that much? The answer, when it came, shocked him deeply.

"You once told me your sisters came to you when they had something they wanted to talk about, but couldn't talk to anyone else. You said you kept their secrets."

"Yeah..." Kate said, giving him a cautious look.

"A secret for a secret." Hao suggested. "I know you well enough to know you would not intentionally hurt me, and there's no way for me to use what you have to say against you." Kate still looked doubtful. "I'll go first." He swallowed thickly; his throat felt intensely dry all the sudden. "I only ever knew my mother, and she was everything to me. She taught me how to respect Nature and she was a shaman, like me. She was probably one of the kindest people I've yet to meet, but others were afraid of her, because of her power."

He paused and licked his lips. This was hard, very hard for him to do. He'd kept these memories, this pain locked away for so long. What if she couldn't understand? What if she thought his pain was laughable. He risked a look at her face. He saw serious watchfulness in her eyes, no a hint of any sort of mocking or laughter. Encouraged, he went on.

"One day I came home and found our house on fire, my mother was still inside. I was three at the time and I had lost everything." Hao inhaled deeply, trying to keep the memories from overwhelming him. "It hurt so much, to be alone, but I was...afraid...after that to care about people. Then one day I took in a stray cat, and allowed him into my heart."

"Matamune." Kate murmured. Hao looked at the cat spirit, who had a sad look on his face.

"Yes. He was my friend, and I trusted him. I thought he would stay by my side forever, but when I started talking about the destruction of humanity, he ran from me. It was a blow, a harsh one. I made a decision not to allow anyone that close ever again, and that decision was only strengthened when Matamune helped kill me in my second life." He sighed. "So, the truth of why I care for no one is simply because I'm afraid that I will be left alone once again if I try, and that is the one kind of pain that I cannot bear."

Hao fell silent, unable to look Kate in the face. He felt a little lighter having told his story, but he was still worried about how it would be received. "It's funny how you think humans are so different from you." Kate said softly. Hao looked up into sad blue-grey eyes. "We're not so different, you and I."

"What do you mean?" Hao asked.

"When we were in middle school, we had a couple new guys join our group. After some time one of them expressed interest in me. He had been a nice guy, fun, interesting, and good-looking to boot, so I said yes. It was all fun for the first little while and we were both obviously happy in our puppy love." She sighed softly. "Too bad it didn't last."

"What happened?"

"We got into high school and had our first high school dance. I didn't like skirts and dresses, even back then, but he'd coaxed me into one, telling me I looked pretty in it. We were having fun, but I was starting to get a little light-headed from the heat. He offered to go with me to get some air. We walked around the halls for a bit and then found a little corner to kiss in private. It was nice, until he tried to pull up my skirt. I told him to stop, but he wouldn't, so I shoved him away. He told me to quit being a tease and I told him to quit being a dick and that I wasn't ready. He tried to grab me and I threatened him, told him we were through. Went back to the dance, told the other guys I wanted to leave and told them what happened. They wanted to go after him, but I said no. Maybe I should have said yes."

"That doesn't seem too bad." Hao commented. Kate gave him a grave look.

"It gets worse." She promised. "Next day was school and when I got there, the whispering started. People were looking at me in disgust or giving me leers. I had no idea what was going on, and after some of the guys began making rude suggestions, I asked what was going on. Apparently my ex told everyone I was a slut and had been sleeping around with older men. By the end of the day, I was the resident slut. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, no one would believe me, after all, I hung out with all guys, and why would I do that if I wasn't banging them all."

"Why didn't you tell someone?"

"Why? The damage was already done. I didn't want to drag out the humiliation so I kept quiet and let it die down. I'm pretty sure my guys beat up my ex though. Wish I had been able to throw a punch or two of my own." Kate let out a shuddering breath almost like a sob. "The worst thing was that he was one of us, someone I was supposed to trust, and he went and did that. I swore off romantic relationships after that, I couldn't bring myself to trust someone that intimately again."

She put her face in her hands and let out a shuddering sob. Hao was at a loss; he hadn't expected her to start crying! Slowly he shifted closer to her until he was almost touching her. Ever so slowly he reached out an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, holding her in a sideways embrace. He didn't know why he was doing this, but he knew that Kate needed it right now, and after all she'd done for him, it was the least he could do.

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	19. Chapter 19

Star: I own nothing!

It had taken Yoh quite some time to convince Anna not to kick Kate out of the house. It wasn't easy, and Yoh figured he'd still have some arguing to do later on, but for now things were quiet. Hao had disappeared, but since Matamune had gone too, he wasn't too concerned.

It wasn't a huge surprise to him when Hao and Kate walked back in together; he'd figured that's where Hao had gone. Despite all Hao's denials, it was clear to Yoh that he really did like Kate and the fact that he'd gone after her today just proved it. Kate went upstairs and Hao made to follow, but Yoh stole up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"She tell you what was going on?" Yoh asked quietly. A look of wariness flickered in Hao's eyes and he nodded stiffly. "You won't tell me though."

"It's not for me to tell." Hao replied. "Anna done bitching about it?"

"For now. Kate may want to apologize to help it along though." Yoh told him. Hao nodded again and headed upstairs. After a couple minutes Yoh heard the sound of the cello playing and decided to go check on Kate himself.

He found Hao staring at her bookshelf, having finished the entire Harry Potter series. Spooky was purring happily while rubbing himself against the cello. He'd grown into a sleek, whip-thin cat who was still little by cat standards. He carried himself like he ruled the house and conned treats out of both Hao and Kate at every opportunity he got.

"Hey Kate, you feeling better?" Yoh asked. Kate stopped playing and nodded her head. "I think that once things calm down a little bit more, you should apologize to Anna."

"There was no call for what she said to me." Kate growled stubbornly.

"Perhaps so, but she's been talking about having you kicked out, and apologizing will mollify her." Yoh explained. "You don't necessarily have to mean it, I don't think she'd know the difference."

"Maybe..." Kate gave him a thoughtful look. "What do you think, Hao?"

"Hmm?" Hao looked up from his contemplation. "If there's one thing I've reluctantly learned here it's that sometimes I must swallow my pride when it comes to Anna."

"Feh, you all suck." Kate growled without much conviction in her voice. "I'll do my best, but half-hearted apologies aren't one of my strong points."

"That's all I can ask for." Yoh said. "It would help if I understood why..." He trailed off as Kate shook her head.

"Sorry kiddo, but I think you got enough on your plate without having to worry about my issues too." Kate told him. "It isn't something I talk about it, and saying it once today is bad enough."

"I suppose that's fair." Yoh agreed. "Try not to get into any more trouble, you two." As he turned to go he heard Hao snort in contempt. Matamune materialized as Yoh walked downstairs. "What do you think, Matamune?"

"I cannot divulge what I heard, but I can say with certainty that Hao is indeed making progress, as you might call it." Matamune replied.

"What about Kate telling Hao what happened and not me?" Yoh was a little surprised, though not upset, that he had not been confided in. After all, he was sort of the natural person people went to when they had a problem.

"As she said, I don't think she wants to add to your burden, you have so many people's problems and hopes on your shoulders and she knows it." Matamune explained. "It was also an exchange of a sort, a show of trust on both their parts and I think Hao needed that, to know that someone could trust him in that way. You don't really need that."

"No, I suppose not." Yoh thought for a second. "Do you think there's something... more going on?"

"I don't think Hao's even remotely ready to consider that." Matamune replied with a chuckle. "In his mind it's bad enough he's even considering a pair of humans as friends."

%&%&%&%

Hao watched Anna carefully as he set out plates for dinner. The blonde was clearly still pissed off, and he idly wondered if she would start taking it out on him. The cheek that had been slapped by Kate had turned a lovely shade of purple. Obviously wrestling with boys for so many years had given Kate quite the swing and possibly wasn't aware of her own strength anymore.

"Hurry it up!" Anna snapped at him. Hao rolled his eyes and ambled back into the kitchen for glasses. Ryu stepped out of his way politely, but said nothing. Most of them had pretty much gotten used to his presence, but were nowhere near as friendly as Kate, Chris and Yoh. Hao didn't mind; he'd feel smothered by all the gooey emotions if they were all nicey-nice to him.

Once he was finished setting the table, Ryu came out and placed the food down, yelling for everyone to come eat. Within seconds the thundering herd was downstairs. Hao found himself sandwiched between Kate and Chris as usual, with Spooky hiding under the table. Anna glared daggers at Kate, who eyed her contemptuously.

Hao leaned over. "The sooner you get this over with the better."

"Like ripping a bandaid off, gotta do it fast." Kate muttered back. "Anna." She said loudly, cutting through the conversation. "I need to apologize to you."

"I can't imagine why." Anna snapped.

"What you said to me is a very strong trigger, for reasons that I choose to keep to myself, but I will say that calling me, or insinuating, that I'm a whore brings up some bad stuff from my past." Kate paused. "Slapping you was uncalled for, so I do apologize, but if you do it again I won't apologize because you've now had fair warning."

Anna snorted contemptuously, but didn't argue. Yoh gave Kate a smile and a little nod. Hao figured Anna wouldn't listen to Kate's warning, but conceded that she could surprise him. It was a slim hope to be sure, but after the powerful blow that Kate had dealt Anna, perhaps she would think twice before needling her again. Hao suppressed a smirk; to be completely honest, he was glad the uppity little witch had gotten a taste of her own medicine.

Yoh was on dish duty tonight so Hao chose to hide in his room for the rest of the night with Spooky. Sometime later Kate came in and sat down beside him with a book. "What do you think you're doing in here?" Hao asked incredulously.

"You invade my room all the time, thought it was high time I returned the favour." Kate said with a grin. Hao huffed, but didn't argue with her. "What was your mom like?" Hao looked up, startled by the question. "I mean, I can understand if you don't wanna talk about her, but I'm curious now."

"What do you want to know, exactly?" Hao asked, not sure what else to say. What was the point of saying no, it's not like she was asking him to share another deep secret.

"What did she look like, for starters?"

"She was tall, willowy, with long blonde hair and golden eyes." Hao said wistfully. Kate giggled slightly. "What?"

"I'm trying to picture you with blonde hair." She replied.

"I had dark hair back then." Hao grumbled. "What about your mother?"

"Mum? She's got blonde hair, blue eyes like mine and is a little on the big side, but that's mostly because of her gluten problem that she's only figured out about in the last few years." Kate explained. "Since then she's lost quite a bit of weight. I get my eyes from her, and my hair from dad, which means I'll probably start going grey sometime in my twenties." She giggled at the thought. "What did your mom do for a living?"

"She was a healer, she was starting to teach me about herbal remedies when she..." Kate patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"My mom does home day care, so we got as many as five rugrats running around our house during the week. I don't know how she deals with it all, I mean some kids are angels, and some of them are just complete devils."

"I can imagine." Hao said. "Why are we talking about this again?"

"I dunno. Just curious, I suppose. Plus, I hardly know anything real about you and that bugs me because we're friends, right?" Hao looked down into her earnest, honest eyes. She truly believed that their friendship was real, and Hao couldn't see how she could be wrong. He'd begun to think of it as real friendship, sure, but he still had his doubts and his desire to push the two humans away.

"Yeah, we're friends." He said finally. He couldn't help but feel like he'd just completely abandoned his goals by saying those words. He felt like a hypocrite, but at the same time he felt a little bit happy too. What was up with that?

Kate left his room not long after that; she needed to finish her lab which was due the next day. Of course as she left Yoh decided to come in. "How you doing, Hao?" A month ago Hao would have told Yoh to get out, but he felt...odd tonight and decided to go with an honest answer.

"Conflicted."

"About Kate and Chris, I'm guessing." Hao sighed in answer. "Are you happy, at all, here?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hao asked, confused.

"You believed that you would only be happy when you'd created your perfect world, yes?" Hao nodded stiffly. "Are you happy now?"

"I'm a captive, used as a maid and in less than a year I die, what do you think?" Hao knew he was avoiding the question.

"That's not an answer." Yoh said sternly. Hao locked his jaw stubbornly and refused to look at Yoh. "Alright, I got one more question, and I don't want you to answer right away, I just want you to think about it. If you were to succeed in destroying humanity, how would you feel knowing you'd killed Kate and Chris?"

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Star: Review plz!


	20. Chapter 20

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh preferred doing his runs when the temperature started to cool like it did in November; it wasn't as hard to run. He hummed slightly as he took off his running shoes and took the training weights off his wrists and ankles. He padded through the house, intending to go have a shower.

"Hey, Yoh!" Horohoro's voice whispered at him. Yoh stopped and found both Horohoro and Ren peering discreetly into the dining room at something. "You gotta come see this, dude." Yoh ambled over and peered in as well, before shrugging his shoulders.

Either Kate or Hao thought it would be better to try and study at the dinner table rather than in her room. Papers were spread over the entire surface of the table. Hao was explaining something to Kate in a quiet voice, by the look on Kate's face, she wasn't quite getting it. Hao began writing on a piece of paper and after a moment understanding dawned on Kate's face. She grinned at him and he smiled slightly back.

"Unbelievable." Horohoro whispered, shaking his head. "It's like looking at a tamed lion." He shook his head again. "This actually seems to be working, I mean we were sceptical at first..."

"I apologize if we were a little cold towards you at first, Yoh." Ren said softly. "It was a bit of a hard thing to wrap our heads around. I trust you, but at first I thought perhaps you'd gone mad, now..." he trailed off, looking at Hao and Kate again. "I should know by now to trust you, shouldn't I?"

"It's alright guys, I know you mean well. You don't have to agree with everything I say." Yoh assured them.

"Should we start talking to him like you do?" Horohoro asked.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." Yoh said. "Everyone all the sudden being nice to him would make him suspicious and besides, he's just learning how to deal with friends, we don't need to overload him."

"You're probably right about that." Ren commented. Yoh watched Hao and Kate silently. He saw the smile appear on Hao's face again, a true smile, unlike the one he usually wore. After a moment it seemed like Hao realized what he was doing and the smile faded. His posture became stiffer. Kate seemed to notice his change in attitude too and her eyes flickered with disappointment.

He'd been doing that a lot lately, letting himself get comfortable talking with Kate, Chris or even Yoh and then all the sudden clamming up. He'd still talk, but it was without enthusiasm or warmth. Yoh suspected it had to do with the questions he'd asked Hao. He hoped Hao would get over it soon, it looked like he was hurting Kate.

"He's got a long way to go, but he's already come farther than I'd even dared hope." Yoh commented to his friends. "All I can hope for now is something doesn't screw it up." Horohoro and Ren nodded. Yoh decided to go in and say hello.

"Hey, what are you two up to?" He asked with a grin.

"Physics." Hao said shortly.

"Torture." Kate countered with a dramatic sigh. Hao didn't so much as smirk at the remark.

"Any progress?"

"A little." Kate replied. "But it's much easier to understand if Hao helps explain it to me, I don't know what I'm going to do in the actual midterm."

"You got a good mark on the last one, didn't you?" Yoh asked.

"Yeah, that was the easy stuff." Kate said doubtfully.

"You don't have enough faith in your own abilities, you can't depend on me forever." Hao said, though his voice was almost completely toneless when he said it.

"I'm aware, it's just nice having that security blanket." Kate said, looking troubled. "At least I don't have to take anymore physics after this semester. I don't think I'd survive."

"That's awfully dramatic, don't you think?" Hao asked, stone-faced.

"I'm allowed to be dramatic if I want to." Kate retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Why don't we take a break for a bit?" Hao suggested, standing up and moving off. Kate shook her head as he left.

"It's really frustrating when he just sort of shuts off like that. I mean especially if we're in the middle of a great conversation." Kate made an annoyed sound. "He needs to get that stick completely out of his ass."

"Be patient, he hasn't had to deal with this kind of thing for a long time." Yoh advised.

"I know." Kate said, her tone softening. "Which is why I try not to push him too much, you know? He's actually really sweet when you get past his defences."

Yoh gave Kate a sidelong glance; she blushed and looked away. Ah-ha, thought Yoh. He had wondered if something like this would happen. He wouldn't press her, he had a feeling there was a lot of complicated emotions behind those blue-grey eyes. He had something of an idea that Hao might have the same sort of feelings for Kate and that was one of the things he was fighting against.

"What kind of things do you talk about?" Yoh asked.

"All kinds of things, music, books, the state of humanity in general... you know I agree with quite a bit of what he says, but he doesn't see the whole picture. He blames all of humanity for things that only a few people have really caused while the rest of the human race lives in ignorance of how bad things really are because governments are too spineless to tell them." Kate explained. She let a frustrated growl. "That's part of what really needs to change, how our governments work and how much power corporations have over them. I'm going to stop there because I'll wind up going into a rant if I don't."

"You're pretty passionate about this." Yoh commented. "I think that's part of the reason Hao actually likes you."

"He does like me?" Kate asked. "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

"He does." Yoh assured her. "I think that just scares him."

"Commitment scares all men." Kate joked.

"Hey!" Yoh shoved her lightly. She shoved him back just as playfully.

"What are you doing?" Anna demanded, glaring at the two of them.

"Having a conversation, I'm sorry I didn't realize that was a criminal offence." Kate quipped. Anna narrowed her eyes, but Kate just crossed hers and stuck her tongue out.

"Hmph, childish." Anna said dismissively.

"And you have to fuck her?" Kate said quietly to Yoh. Yoh blushed deeply at her bluntness. "Good luck with that my man."

"Good luck with what?" Hao asked, coming back in the room.

"Fucking Anna." Kate replied blithely, making Yoh blush even deeper. Hao shook his head.

"I can't believe I even considered taking her to be my Shaman Queen." He muttered, probably only half-aware of what he was saying.

"You?" Kate asked incredulously, her Cheshire Cat grin beginning to spread across her face. "And here I thought that you were supposed to be the intelligent twin."

Hao blinked at her a moment, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. An instant later a chuckle escaped his mouth, followed by another and another until Hao was full out belly-laughing. Kate joined him, letting out a Goofy-like series of hyuk-hyuks that made Hao laugh all the harder. Hao's laugh was pure joy, a bright, bell-like sound that was as infectious as it was pleasant to listen to.

"I don't even know why I found that so funny." Hao managed to gasp out when he calmed down enough. Kate was still letting out little giggle-snorts as she tried to answer

"Finally found your sense of humour and it responded too excitedly after not being used for so long." She suggested.

"Okay, that was weak." Hao told her.

"Sorry, trying to breathe is a little more important than jokes I think." Kate fired back. "I think I nearly died laughing, what a way to go, huh?"

"As far as dying goes, pretty good." Yoh said. Kate nodded in agreement. Hao was still smiling slightly, looking a little bemused, probably by his own actions, Yoh thought to himself. He wished he could have recorded the sound of Hao's laughter, in case this was the only time he ever heard his brother truly laugh.

Kate grinned and stood up, hugging Hao before he had a chance to react. Hao was tall enough now that Kate could just barely rest her chin on his shoulder, if she stood on tip-toes. "What's this for?" Hao asked, his voice betraying just the barest hint of uncertainty.

"Just because." Kate replied. "For being so patient with me when I just wanna quit." Yoh wasn't sure who was more surprised, him, Kate, or Hao himself, when Hao's arms came around Kate's middle to hug her back for the first time. Yoh didn't dare breathe and break the moment, hardly believing it was happening. Finally Kate pulled away, smiling gently up at Hao. Hao looked embarrassed and more confused than ever. "Why don't we get back to work?" Kate suggested.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea." Hao said, completely professional once again. Yoh left them alone, resisting the urge to shout for joy as he did so.

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Star: I am on a roll right now! Review plz!


	21. Chapter 21

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh watched Kate dance around, happily setting her physics study notes on fire. It was December 23rd, and her last exam, her hardest, was done. Of course she was now on a sugar high and crazier than ever, if that was even possible. She and Chris were staying for the holidays, apparently their families had decided to take a long-overdue vacation, taking advantage of the fact that their children were gone.

Hao sat beside Yoh, shaking his head at Kate's antics. It didn't help that Chris was goading her on, but then again it was pretty typical of the two of them. Yoh gave Hao a sidelong glance; the elder twin was watching Kate closely, something he did a lot recently.

Hao would never admit it, but Yoh knew he was falling for the quirky yet compassionate girl. Unfortunately, this made Hao a lot more temperamental, as he fought the feelings his ego told him he didn't want, that he shouldn't have. There were long periods of silence and monotone responses where Hao just tried to block himself off from the rest of the world. These were interspersed with periods of friendliness and willingness to cooperate and have fun. It was exhausting, trying to keep up with Hao's ever changing moods, and not only for Yoh.

Kate was falling just as hard for Hao as he was for her. She would flirt for a moment and then clam up, hastily trying to cover her tracks out of what seemed almost like fear. Hao never seemed to notice, but Yoh noticed, just as he noticed the hurt in Kate's eyes when she was unable to coax Hao into being friendly with her and he just brushed her off.

"You like her." Yoh said softly to Hao. Hao didn't look at him.

"I enjoy her companionship, that is all." He replied.

"No, you like her, as in you have a crush on her." This time Hao did look at him, giving him a warning glare. "Don't try to bullshit me, I've seen the way you look at her, and I've seen the way you reach out to touch and then force yourself away."

"You're wrong." Hao said flatly, but his voice lacked conviction. Yoh shook his head at Hao's stubbornness.

"What is it holding you back? Is it the fact that she's human? Haven't she and Chris proven that humans aren't the demons you thought they were? Come on Hao, quit being so stubborn and pushing away one of the only people that gives a damn about what happens to you." Yoh urged.

"It's not just about that." Hao said slowly, the words coming reluctantly. "I know a few things about Kate and I know she... I'm dead next August anyways, why does it matter?"

"You are not going to die." Yoh said fiercely, startling Hao. "I will not let this whole bloody cycle start over again." Hao said nothing and looked away. Yoh huffed softly in irritation. It was frustrating having to fight so hard for every small change in Hao's perspective on the world, but if it worked out in the end, it would be worth it.

"Even if I was interested in her, and I'm not," Hao growled. "She would never in a million years be interested in me."

"You so sure about that?" Yoh asked, cocking his head at his brother. Despite Hao's reluctance to have anything to do with his brother, these moments when Hao would talk to him about things that were bothering him, in a roundabout way of course, showed that he at least trusted Yoh a little bit. "She already views you as a good friend, only a short jump to bring it to another level."

"I'd be a fool to try it, she'd only reject me." Hao snapped quietly. "Besides, what do you know of relationships?"

"I don't." Yoh admitted. "But I do know about taking risks, and I believe they're worth it. Better to fail at something you try then to regret never trying at all." He peered at Hao, who avoided his eyes carefully. "About a month ago I asked you how you would feel knowing you'd killed Kate and Chris. I would like to know the answer to that question."

Abruptly Hao stood up and walked, no, stalked off. Other times Yoh would leave him alone, but not this time. He followed and cornered Hao before he could close himself in his room alone. "Answer me." Yoh said softly. Hao stared at a spot above Yoh's head. "Hao, please talk to me."

"I don't know." Hao finally said in a voice so quiet Yoh almost didn't hear it. "There's what my head tells me I should feel and then there's..." He halted, unable to find the words to explain. "I think I'd rather have died, because you are torturing me."

Yoh cupped Hao's face in his hands and made the elder look at him. "It's only torture because you're fighting what your heart wants." He told Hao softly. "I know it's hard for you to give into your so-called weak emotions, but denying them is only going to cause you pain."

"What do you want me to do, I'm not an emotional sap like you." Hao snapped, trying to pull away. Yoh refused to let him and gave him a gentle smile.

"I want you just to try." Yoh was prevented from saying anymore by the doorbell ringing downstairs. He sighed and allowed Hao to escape while he headed downstairs to see who could possibly be at the front door.

He nearly had a heart attack when he opened the door to find Marco and the Iron Maiden standing there. "Good afternoon," He stuttered out. "What, may I ask, are you doing here?"

"We wished to see how badly Hao was failing." Marco said with a self-righteous smirk. "We will only stay for dinner, his presence taints this place."

The Iron Maiden nodded in agreement, her childish smile belaying the cold murderer behind it. Yoh allowed them into the house and followed after, bracing himself for the storm to come.

%&%&%&%

This was some kind of cosmic torture, some deity getting back at him for the things he'd done, Hao decided. He hadn't been allowed to hide in his room over dinner, so he was forced to listen to the Iron Maiden drone on and on about how they should have been allowed to select his punishment because she was a saint.

Not even Kate and Chris seemed in the mood for childish antics. Chris was especially pissed off because of Marco's remark about Kate being 'damaged' because of her boyish tendencies. Kate didn't seem to care, but she wasn't as rude to him as Hao expected her to be. She kept glancing over to him with worried eyes over the course of the dinner.

He was slowly getting more and more enraged as the dinner went on and the conversation revolved around him, mocking him and basically making him feel like a loser. His hands balled into fists under the table as he stopped even eating; the thought of ramming chopsticks into one of Marco's eyes was too tempting.

"I'm sure as university students these two are intelligent enough not to get mixed up with that monster." Hao discreetly glanced over at Kate and Chris. Chris elbowed Kate as she opened her mouth and she shut it again.

"Actually, they don't seem to be that intelligent." Anna's eyes gleamed with malice as she looked over the two university students. Kate sneered at her. "They seem to have taken on Hao as something of a 'project'." She snickered in wicked amusement. "And he seems to go along with it."

"Ah, so the great Hao Asakura has been tamed by a pair of humans." Marco's triumphant smirk was the last straw for Hao. Unable to keep a lid on his temper he pushed away from the table and stalked upstairs before he tried to kill someone. He went into his room and leaned his head against the wall, trying to push down the headache that throbbed at his temples.

_Tamed! _He thought angrily to himself. It was true in a way, he had allowed them to push him into doing things he'd never done before, but to have it said that way... the blow to his pride was nearly unbearable. He had to do something about it, to prove he was still the mighty Hao Asakura.

"Hao?" A hand touched his shoulder and he tensed up. "You okay?" He turned around and looked down into Kate's concerned eyes. Chaos erupted in his head as anger fought with happiness and as one part of him screamed to push her away, another part whispered to let her hug him and make him feel better, making his headache even worse.

"I'm fine." He snapped, unable to think clearly anymore with the shouting in his brain. "And I certainly don't need the help of a stupid slut."

Barely had the words left his mouth when he found himself reeling back, one cheek stinging. The slap cut through the chaos in his mind and left him shocked. He stared down at Kate and shock was replaced by mute shame as he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes.

"You know better." She told him in a choked voice. "You're upset, so I'll let you off this time, but you damned well know better." He didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. She let out a shuddering sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. "I can't do this anymore, I can't... it hurts when you push me away, I don't think you realize that. I want to be your friend, I like you." She confessed to him, looking down. "But I don't know if you want to be friends." She looked back up at him. "Do you want to be my friend?"

Hao stared at her and realized all his fighting, all his resistance, had been utterly futile. Part of him panicked, aware of what he was going to do, and tried to remind him why he should hate her, push her away from him. But he no longer listened to that voice anymore. It was time, time to surrender.

"No." He said softly to her. Her eyes widened and tears threatened to spill as she tried to back away. He simply reached out and caught her wrists, pulling her back to him. He stared down into her face, feeling a calmness steal over him. "I want to be more than just your friend."

As she stood frozen in shock, trying to process what he was saying, Hao leaned down and pressed his lips gently over hers. A jolt, like a zap of electricity, went through him at the contact. After an initial stunned moment Kate was kissing him back. After mere moments that felt like an eternity of peace, Hao pulled away, still staring into her eyes.

"You know my issues with relationships." She told him. He released her wrists and wrapped his arms instead around her waist, pulling her closer. She rested her hands on his chest, her eyes betraying uncertainty and insecurity.

"And you know mine." Hao replied. "I'm just as scared as you, I'm sure you know that too." She nodded her head. "Because we know each other's insecurities, we will be careful not to hurt the other, will we not?"

"In theory." Kate replied.

"I'm willing to try, will you have the courage to do the same?" Hao asked. She bit her lip and then slowly nodded her head. He kissed her forehead gently and then released her. From downstairs came the muffled sound of Marco's voice. Kate gave him a half-smile.

"You wanna just hide up here until they leave?" She asked. Hao grimaced.

"Considering the alternative is me killing him, which, although is highly tempting and I'm sure the world would be better off, would earn me a ticket to an early execution, I'd have to say yes." He said in an ironic tone that made her grin once more.

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Star: Review plz!


	22. Chapter 22

Star: I think I first need to say thank you to everyone who's stuck around. I know that having an OC paired with a canon character is kind of a risky move and I'm glad that you all seem to approve. Since TheBlackRaven doesn't seem to have an account (get one if you could please, I'd love to be able to talk to you more), I would like to say here I know the time passing could be done a little better, it's one of the things I need to work on, but most of my stories have not been over as long a time period as this one was. Thank you for pointing it out as I always am looking to find what I can improve in my storytelling. As for your question, no Kia will not make an appearance, I think I already have enough OCs running around. So, all I have left to say is I own nothing but the plot and my crazy little OCs, so on with the story.

Yoh woke up to the sound of his alarm and groaned, hiding his head under the covers for a moment before sighing and getting up. He turned off the alarm and pulled on some clothes before padding downstairs. Thankfully the X-Laws had left without antagonizing Hao further the night before; they didn't need a murder in the house.

He got into the kitchen and began prepping for breakfast. Moments later the front door opened, admitting Ryu, and Lyserg. Yoh had been expecting Lyserg; he'd offered his home to the English boy so he wouldn't have to feel alone for the holidays. Lyserg came into the kitchen and smiled tiredly at Yoh.

"Merry Christmas." Yoh nodded at the greeting, although he didn't celebrate Christmas himself. "Is... is HE still here?" Yoh didn't have to ask who Lyserg was talking about. Lyserg got his answer though as Hao himself walked into the kitchen looking dishevelled; it was his turn to help with breakfast.

"Morning." Yoh said. Hao gave a disgruntled grunt in reply and put on the kettle without saying a word.

"I see he's the same as ever." Lyserg murmured.

"Naw, he's just not a morning person." Yoh said in reply, chuckling slightly as Hao stared moodily at the kettle as though willing the water within it to boil faster. Hao suddenly perked up as a loud voice began singing somewhere else in the house.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock. Jingle bell swing and jingle bell ring." It was of course Kate's voice, belting out the song as loudly as she could. Yoh saw Hao duck his head to hide a smile. "What a nice time, it's the right time, to rock the night away. Jingle bell time, it's a swell time, to go riding in a one horse sleigh." She came bouncing into the kitchen and sang out the last few lyrics of the song. "Mix and mingle with the jingling beat, that's the jingle bell, that's the jingle bell, that's the jingle bell rock."

Kate came to a stop in front of Hao, who raised an eyebrow at her. "Good morning." She said softly, looking up at him through her bangs. She seemed shy, or uncertain as she stood there, staring up at him. Lyserg went to say something, but Yoh shushed him. After a long moment she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and kissed Hao's cheek lightly before dancing off, singing again.

Yoh smiled at Hao, who gave him a look that plainly said 'not a word out of you'. Lyserg's mouth was gaping open. "Who was that?"

"That's Kate, she's fun." Yoh answered. "Why don't you get yourself set up in your bedroom, third on the right upstairs. We have to make breakfast." Lyserg nodded dazedly and allowed Ryu to escort him out of the kitchen. Yoh sidled up to Hao, who glared at him.

"Yoh..." He said warningly.

"All I want to say is I'm happy for you both, and it's about time." Yoh said with a grin. Hao relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders.

"I have an answer to your question now." Yoh tilted his head at his brother. "If I knew that my actions had killed Kate and Chris, I wouldn't be able to stand myself, knowing I'd betrayed them in the same way I felt I'd been betrayed."

Yoh nodded his head. "I'm proud of you, Hao. That may sound demeaning to you, but I am, I'm proud that you've found the courage to do all this, because I know it's not easy for you."

"Courage?" Hao said. "I suppose." He admitted. They finished with breakfast in companionable silence.

Everyone was happy, or at least pleased, to see Lyserg at breakfast. Kate and Chris were late, talking in conspiratorial whispers as they sat down, ignoring Anna's disapproving glare. Hao touched Kate's cheek as she sat down beside him and then leaned in to lightly kiss it.

"Good morning." He murmured. She smiled shyly at him. Everyone else just stared at them stunned. Chris, however, had a different reaction.

"Well fucking finally!" He declared. "Jesus, I was getting so annoyed with you two dancing around each other, I was going to lock you in a room together until you either killed each other or started making out."

This of course made Kate laugh her 'Goofy' laugh, which got Hao going. For a couple minutes all the three of them could do was laugh, to Yoh's amusement. "You want me to punch him?" Kate asked Hao when they calmed down.

"Please do." Hao replied. Kate turned and punched Chris in the shoulder. He merely gave her the finger in reply. Yoh's friends just stared, unable to come up with something to say. Lyserg was shaking his head, looking angry, and Yoh sincerely hoped the green-haired boy wouldn't do anything stupid.

%&%&%&%

Hao was reading in his room, alone for the time being. He was kind of glad of it, he didn't want to be smothered by affection from Kate all the time. She wasn't that type, thank goodness, and had gone off with Chris on some 'epic quest', as she had called it, refusing to tell him what they were looking for. He figured it had something to do with the holiday that was tomorrow.

"Okay, what are you doing with her?" Hao looked up slowly at the green-haired shaman standing in his doorway. Hao sighed and snapped his book shut.

"I don't know what you mean." Hao said, being purposely reticent. Lyserg glared at him.

"The girl, whoever she is, you're using her to make it look like you've changed!" Lyserg snapped at him.

"Her name is Kate, and you're wrong, my feelings for her are real." Hao replied. "You may choose not to believe that, but it is the truth."

"Come on, Hao Asakura in love with a human, you don't even understand the concept of love." Lyserg scoffed.

"Don't presume to know what I can and cannot understand, child." Hao growled.

"Oh, and what exactly made you fall in _love _with her?" Lyserg demanded with a sneer.

"I do not have to answer to you." Hao replied loftily. "Surprised you didn't show up with your precious X-Laws." He sneered back at Lyserg.

"That's none of your business." Lyserg snapped. He yelped and jumped as Kate appeared beside him, grinning widely.

"You bugging him?" She asked. "Because that's my job." Lyserg gaped at her. She wiggled past him and held up Spooky for Hao to see. "This bugger's learned to get into the fridge." She set Spooky down in Hao's lap and pulled a candy cane out of her pants pocket. "Merry Christmas."

"I don't eat candy." Hao protested.

"You also said you didn't drink Coke." Kate reminded him, annoyingly rational. "If you don't like it, just give it back, I'll eat the rest."

"Well that's sanitary." Hao commented, taking the candy from her. Kate turned and made a shooing gesture at Lyserg. Lyserg glared at Hao one more time and then left.

"I am really glad that you still are sarcastic." Kate said, sitting down and taking another candy cane out of her pocket and sucking on it.

"What do you mean?" Hao asked.

"I mean you're not treating me like glass." Kate explained. "You don't feel like you have to change because we happen to be going out. I'd hate it if you got all lovey-dovey on me all the time now."

"And I'd hate it if you stopped being so irritatingly insistent on making me do things." Hao replied, giving the candy cane a careful suck. He frowned, it didn't taste like the peppermint he was expecting.

"Cherry, my favourite." Kate explained. "So what was that kid's problem?"

"He hates me." Hao said bluntly. "I killed his parents." No point in sugar-coating it. Kate blinked a couple times at him and then shook her head.

"I did know what I was getting into when I agreed to this." She murmured. Hao raised an eyebrow at her. "I've done a lot of thinking about us together, and part of my arguments against it was your dubious past."

"You didn't let that affect the fact that you were trying to be my friend." Hao pointed out.

"Yeah, that's what I kept telling myself." Kate said, patting Spooky lightly on the head. "Hard to remember though when you're stuck here, isn't it?"

"A bit." Hao agreed.

"Wait, you think I'm annoying?" Kate asked. Hao was about to argue when he saw the merry twinkle in her eyes.

"Well, if the shoe fits..." He stated haughtily. She laughed and elbowed him, then cuddled up to his side. Hao draped an arm around her shoulders casually and went back to reading.

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Star: Review plz!


	23. Chapter 23

Star: I own nothing but the psycho OCs and the plot of this tale, so on with the story.

"Are you sure that collar of Hao's works properly?" Yoh looked up at Lyserg's question. His friend was scowling in anger at something.

"What do you mean?" Yoh asked.

"He's bewitched that girl somehow into thinking she's in love with him." Lyserg explained. Yoh shook his head.

"You haven't been here to see the two of them making eyes at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking." Yoh told him. "The attraction is real, for both of them."

"You have too much trust Yoh." Lyserg sighed. "You can't think of him as human."

"But he is human." Yoh and Lyserg looked around at Chris' voice. The blonde was leaning in the doorway. "Take it from the guy who decided to try and befriend him, he's a lot more complicated than you think."

"Then he's misled you too." Lyserg said dismissively. "He's good at taking in the weak-minded."

"Whoa, dude, no need to get insulting." Chris said, putting up his hands. "Trust me, Kate's not going to entrust her heart to just anyone. She's got a good reason for it, and I'm not going to pry into it, but I suggest you leave her alone."

"And what if I refuse?" Lyserg demanded. Chris' normally friendly eyes turned cold.

"The last time someone hurt Kate me and the other guys made sure he hurt just as much." He said, his voice a low rumble. "I may only be one person but I swear to God I'll make you hurt." Lyserg sniffed and walked away from him. "Think you'll want to keep an eye on him." Chris commented to Yoh, who nodded miserably.

%&%&%&%

Hao stalked silently through the house with Matamune on his heels. The cat spirit had been jubilant about his admission of affection towards Kate. Hao had rolled his eyes at his antics, though secretly he was pleased to have pleasantly surprised his old friend.

"...I'm pretty sure I don't need someone to tell me who I should and should not love." Hao stiffened at Kate's voice and snuck towards her room. He peeked in and saw her standing, eyes narrowed as she stared at Lyserg.

"Obviously not." Lyserg said, quite rudely. "You can't see that he using you. He's just trying to make it look like he's changed enough that he calls a human his girlfriend so that he won't die in August."

"I'm pretty sure you're underestimating his massive ego." Hao winced slightly, she was as blunt as always. "It took us months of basically beating him over the head with the idea for him to even consider us as friends."

"Once again, that was all just play-acting." Lyserg growled. Hao saw Matamune raise an eyebrow and put a finger to his lips; he wanted to see how this would play out.

"You haven't been here, you don't know what he's been like. He's fought us every step of the way up until now." Hao watched Kate smile slightly. "He's not a very good liar, I think he's always told the truth, or at least the version of the truth as he sees it."

"You don't understand." Lyserg said condescendingly. "He's been playing you from the start."

"What exactly are you implying here?" Kate's voice had gone soft and cold.

"He is laughing at you, behind your back, because he's managed to fool you into thinking he cares about anything but his own plans." Lyserg hissed. "Once your use to him has ended he'll drop you and make sure you know very well how badly he fooled you."

Hao watched Kate's face, seeing her eyes begin to ice over with anger. It was time to intervene before things got out of hand. He stepped into the room. "That's enough-" He didn't get any further as Lyserg whirled, startled, his pendulum racing towards Hao's face. Hao managed to dodge enough that the crystal only just sliced his cheek.

He backed up, fists balled for another attack, but Kate was faster and closer. In a quick series of movements she had Lyserg's arms pinned to his sides with one arm and the other arm had him in a chokehold. It was then that Yoh chose to walk in.

"Whoa! What's going on here?" Yoh asked, looking from Kate's captive to Hao's bleeding cheek. "What happened?"

"Hao attacked me!" Lyserg yelped. "And when I tried to fight back, this love-addled fool grabbed me."

"Okay, I'm about five seconds from kicking your ass, so shut up." Kate growled, tightening her hold around his neck. Yoh looked down at Matamune, who shook his head.

"Hao merely went in to try and stop Lyserg from upsetting Kate and Lyserg attacked first." The cat spirit said calmly.

"What? You're going to believe him over me?" Lyserg demanded. "He's Hao's!"

"Actually it's me who brought him here, to keep an eye on Hao." Yoh explained. "He's also the one who killed Hao in his second life so I don't believe he'd lie to me to protect him if he was in the wrong. Can you let him go Kate? I think I need to have a chat with you, Lyserg."

Reluctantly Kate released him, giving him a quick punch in the shoulder to remind him not to mess with her. Lyserg shot Hao a poisonous look before he left with Yoh, leaving Hao alone with Kate. Hao stepped up to Kate, wiping the blood off his cheek, about to try and make a joke or say something about how rude Lyserg had been when he looked into her eyes and saw the uncertainty in them.

"Kate?" He asked.

"Goddamn it, I hate feeling so self-conscious about myself." She said, blinking fiercely. "Please, just look me right in the eyes and tell me that nothing he said was true, I know you were listening. Just please do that for me."

Hao stepped up and wrapped his arms around her waist, staring deeply into her eyes. "Everything he said to you could not be further from the truth, everything you said to him was exactly right." He said softly. "I love you, and honestly that scares me a little." Kate relaxed in his arms and smiled up at him. Hao leaned down and kissed her, determined to prove that she had nothing to fear from him.

%&%&%&%

Yoh sat Lyserg down at the dining table, giving him a serious look. Horohoro and Ren came in, looking interested in what their designated leader had to say. "I'm going to have to ask you to stop trying to stir up trouble while you're here."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lyserg huffed, avoiding Yoh's eyes.

"I believe you do." Yoh said. "I know you hate him, but he's changing now, and I don't need all the work that I, Chris and Kate have done to fall to pieces."

"You can't seriously believe that he's really fallen for a human, can you?" Lyserg demanded. Yoh looked at Horohoro and Ren for help.

"We believe it." Horohoro said with a shrug. "It was a bit of a surprise this morning, but thinking about it, there was always something going on between the two of them. I mean, he liked her enough to help her with her homework and to be dragged along here and there by her."

"I am probably the most sceptical here, but seeing the two of them together... it seems natural, unforced." Ren added. "The fact that Kate doesn't put up with any sort of bullshit from him does help me to believe that this is something real."

"This is crazy." Lyserg muttered. "Why are you so adamant about saving him, Yoh? After all that he's done to you and the people you care about?"

"This is the only way to stop the cycle." Yoh said calmly. "If we just kill him he comes back again in five hundred years, stronger and madder than ever. I wanted to give him something more to live for than his obsession with destruction. He didn't have contact with humans, not enough to get to know them anyways, so he could treat them as less than people. He can't do that anymore."

"I cannot accept that, I will not!" Lyserg cried angrily.

"I would never ask you to." Yoh assured him. "All I ask of you is that you leave them alone while you're here."

"But... Fine." Lyserg muttered, seeing the stern look on Yoh's face. "I'll leave them alone."

Yoh smiled slightly. "Thank you Lyserg, and I'm sorry this visit's got off to a bad start."

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Star: Review plz!


	24. Chapter 24

Star: Saw Men in Black 3, it was awesome! Anyways, I own nothing but the plot and my OCs, so let's get on with the story!

Hao dozed contentedly, hearing the sound of someone getting breakfast started but not willing to give up the warmth of his bed just yet. His efforts were proved in vain when he was pounced upon by something way too heavy to be Spooky. The air left his lungs in a whoosh and he gasped, opening his eyes wide and staring up into Kate's grinning face.

"Wake up call!" She crowed delightedly.

"Kate! You're going to throw out my back." Hao protested with a wheeze.

"Jesus, you're such an old man sometimes." Kate teased, eyes dancing merrily. "You need to lighten up."

"Hard to do that when you're sitting on my stomach." Hao pointed out, rolling and dumping her off him.

"Ooh, is that the way it's going to be? Well then, maybe me and Chris won't give you our surprise." Kate said, standing up.

"What kind of surprise?" Hao asked suspiciously. A surprise from Kate and Chris could just as likely be one of their pranks.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?" Kate said, her grin stretching to Cheshire-cat proportions. "Now, I'm going to wake Chris, if you're not out of this room in ten minutes, I'm filling a Super Soaker with ice water and coming after you."

Hao sighed and lay back down when she left the room. "You know she'll make good on her threat." Matamune warned him.

"I know." Hao groused. He stood up and yawned, wandering over to the dresser to find something to wear. He looked into the mirror, touching the shallow gash in his cheek, wondering if Yoh had managed to make Lyserg back off. He touched the collar around his neck, surprised that he'd nearly forgotten about his bound powers.

He was just pulling his pants on when the sound of an air horn pierced the air, making him jump and swear as he nearly fell over. A yelled curse rang out on the heels of the air horn blast. He got to the door just as Kate ran by, cackling happily, with Chris hot on her heels in only his boxer shorts.

Hao finished dressing and then headed downstairs, not bothering to make any haste. He found Kate and Chris in the living room, Kate being held in a headlock while Chris pummeled her. Kate didn't seem to be in any distress though, she was still laughing in fact, so Hao left them alone and went to get started on a mug of tea.

Ryu was in the kitchen, as was Lyserg. Lyserg glared at him as he went about his business, but said nothing else. Almost as soon as he'd finished making his tea he heard Kate bellow his name. He wandered slowly back towards the living room and raised an eyebrow at the two grinning teenagers.

"Merry Christmas!" Chris declared, pulling a newspaper-wrapped package from behind his back. Hao blinked at them.

"But...I don't..." he faltered.

"We know you don't celebrate Christmas, but we do, so we got you something." Kate said quickly. Hao took the package offered to him and carefully pulled it open. He stared at the brand new DS and the two Legend of Zelda games the package held.

"We figured it was about time you got some games of your own." Chris said. "It's from both of us."

"But I don't have anything for either of you." Hao protested. Chris and Kate shrugged.

"These days the giving's more fun than the getting, especially when you find the perfect gift." Chris told him. He then wandered away into the kitchen, to sneak snacks before breakfast most likely. Kate stayed, staring up at Hao through her bangs almost shyly.

"I'm going to be incredibly mushy and cliché right now, and I hope to never sound this soppy again," She rambled. "But, you already gave me the nicest present anyone could ever ask for."

"Okay, that was incredibly mushy." Hao agreed. Kate stuck her tongue out at him and hit him lightly on the chest. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "But it was sweet." He added, leaning down and kissing her gently. She sighed and nuzzled into him; it was an incredibly soppy moment, but Hao was hard-pressed to complain. "Am I the only one who got presents?"

"No, we sent out the ones for family a couple weeks back, and we got some new headphones for Yoh. His are acting up and so we got him some really good ones." Kate replied. "We got each other something too of course, got Chris a couple CDs he's been eying and he got me the books I've been waiting for to come out in print. One of them is the last of the Inheritance series you've been reading."

"Hmm, I'll have to borrow it when you're done then." Hao stated. They separated as everyone else came down for breakfast. Lyserg sat as far away from Hao, Chris and Kate as possible. Through some kind of unspoken agreement, Kate found herself sandwiched between Hao and Chris, both feeling just a little protective of her still.

Fortunately Lyserg seemed to have listened to whatever it was Yoh had said to him and did not attack any of them further. Yoh thanked Kate and Chris for his present; apparently it had been left on his pillow for him when he'd woken up. Of course Kate had opted to give Hao his present in such a way that she would get to annoy him first.

After breakfast Hao went to go try out his present in the comfort of his own room. Spooky was fascinated by it and hunched on Hao's shoulder, staring at the screen intensely. Thankfully he was smart enough not to paw or take a swipe at the game while Hao was trying to play.

"You're liking your present, I see." Hao looked up at Yoh's voice. His twin had his new headphones, a pair of sleek orange monstrosities with a stylized skull on the earpieces, hanging around his neck.

"As are you." Hao said, more or less politely. He wished Yoh would leave him alone, but at the same time he didn't feel as frustrated by his brother's presence as he had before.

"Well, you're a lot more pleasant to be around." Hao gave his brother a look, and Yoh had the decency to look sheepish. "That didn't come out the way I meant it to. I just mean that you're not snapping at me for anything or telling me to leave you alone."

"The day is still young." Hao reminded him dryly. "You're not going to play therapist with me, are you? Because then I will kick you out."

"I won't." Yoh chuckled. "I just am happy that you finally seem to be at peace with yourself." He then backed out of the room and left Hao alone. Hao paused his game and frowned slightly.

"What is it, Hao-sama?" Matamune asked.

"Peace...I haven't felt it in so many years, and now all the sudden in the most unlikely of places, it finds me. I can't help but find the irony amusing." Hao said.

"You were trying too hard." Matamune replied. "You were fighting with yourself, and now you're not, at least not as strongly."

A shriek made him jump for a second. Kate ran into the room a moment later and shut the door, cackling maniacally. "What did you do this time?"

"Pepper in the hairdryer, figured I'd either catch Ryu or Anna."

"Judging by the scream, I'd say you got Anna." Kate shook her head. "Ryu has a surprisingly feminine scream then."

"Yup." She sat down next to him, cuddling up to his side. "You like your present a lot."

"Beats boredom." Hao replied. She punched him lightly in the shoulder, which was a form of showing affection for her so Hao ignored it. "How come you're in here? Ryu's not going to do anything to you."

"Of course he won't, he's scared of me." Kate grinned in a predatory manner. "But I figured your room would be the quietest to relax in, so I came here."

"So you thought you'd come bother me."

"Hmm, pretty much." Kate agreed, giving him a cheeky smile. Hao huffed, but shifted so that they were resting a little more comfortably against each other. Hao put his game away and instead picked up his book, sliding his other arm around Kate's waist as she started reading too. Neither of them said a word, there was really nothing to be said.

_Peace, _Hao thought to himself. _I can deal with peace, I can deal with this. This feels... just about right. _

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Star: Review plz!


	25. Chapter 25

Star: I own nothing!

The holidays were quickly over and a new semester of school was starting. "Why do you have a Greek mythology course and a history course? Aren't you a science student?" Hao asked, looking on as Kate tacked up her new schedule on the wall.

"Well, yes, but I have to have a certain amount of non science credits in order to get my degree." Kate explained. "And there were a couple courses that I couldn't take this year, so I got two out of the way this semester."

"I see." Hao looked at the schedule. "You have a couple late three hour lectures I see."

"Yup, first time I've done something like that."

"Sure you can stay awake?" Hao teased, knowing Kate's strict observation of her 'bedtime'.

"Not a baby." Kate replied, poking him in the side. Hao twitched slightly. "Ooh, are you ticklish?"

"No!" Hao denied, a little too quickly it seemed. Kate got that 'Cheshire-cat' grin on her face that usually meant she was about to do something crazy. He found himself tackled to the ground, Kate sitting on him as she attempted to keep him down long enough to get access to his stomach.

Hao squirmed, grunting and chuckling alternatively. He had no idea he was even ticklish, but it seemed he was. "Ooh," Hao looked up as Kate stopped her tickling and found her staring at his exposed abs. "Well, well, you been holding out on me." She said as she lifted his shirt further up. "Damn, now I know you're a hottie, but this takes it to a whole new level."

Hao sat up, making Kate slide into his lap. Her hands were sliding up the toned ridges of his abs. "Even with the scar?" He asked, eying the long scar that ran up the entire length of his chest. She touched it lightly.

"Even sexier. Pretty much all girls are turned on by the dangerous boys." She informed him lightly. A sly grin crept across Hao's face.

"Well then, I think it's my turn to see what you've been hiding from me." He said, grabbing one of her wrists and the hem of her shirt. She tried to wiggle away from him, as he had tried to do earlier.

"No, wait!" Hao stopped, hearing the panic in her voice. He realized her struggles had been very much out of panic, and not jest as his had been. He released her shirt and slid her more comfortably into his lap, clenching his hands over her closed fists.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She bit her lip and looked away from him. "Kate." He said sternly.

"You'll think it's stupid." She muttered rebelliously.

"I'll be the judge of that." He replied. When she wasn't forthcoming he lifted her chin to force her to look him in his eyes. "Part of the reason I fell for you is because you tell me when you have a problem with me, and you tell me what that problem is. I allowed you to gaze upon my body, isn't turnabout fair play?"

"Yes..." Kate said reluctantly. "It's just... you have the perfect body and I, well, don't. I look at you and think that you'd be the kind of guy that would have supermodel for a girlfriend, and I guess I feel..."

"Inadequate?" Hao suggested. Kate nodded miserably. "Kate, I have some old-fashioned ideas, and one of them is what attracts me in a woman. In my first and second life, a woman with a little meat on them was desirable because that meant they were getting enough to eat and would be more likely to bear healthy children. The super-skinny supermodels of today do nothing for me. A little padding is... sexy."

"You're not just saying that, are you?" Kate asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I wouldn't." Hao assured her. "Besides, it's not the body I'm attracted to, it's the person, yes?"

"Well, that's just corny." Kate quipped, then chewed at her lip briefly. "Alright, I suppose that I believe you."

"May I remove your shirt?" She hesitated, and then nodded her head. He got Matamune to close the door first and then slowly lifted the bulky sweatshirt over her head. He left her plain white bra alone, no telling what she would do if he tried that.

What was revealed to him was smooth, pale skin with a couple of random scars dotted here and there, barely noticeable. Her belly did protrude just a little, though not enough to call her chubby by any means.

"Is this what you were worried about?" Hao asked, touching her gently. "Why, it's hardly anything." She blushed and looked away.

"It's silly, but you see all those 'perfect' models and actresses, and you can't help but feel like you could be better, you know. I think pretty much all girls feel like this." Kate explained, looking sheepish. Hao hugged her close.

"You have a beautiful body." He told her firmly. "Don't let anyone ever tell you differently."

"You are a soppy bastard." Kate said, grinning up at him and allowing him to kiss her again.

%&%&%&%

"You know, in all the excitement over the holidays, I forgot to talk to you about something." Chris said as he and Hao walked to class.

"What's that?" Hao asked.

"That if you ever hurt Kate in any way, if you break her heart, I will break you." Chris said calmly.

"What kind of man do you think I am?" Hao asked, insulted. "Unlike so many of your men today, I actually have some honour."

"I don't much care how honourable you are, you're still human, you get mad, you're still not quite over your destroy-the-humans phase, and I'm just telling you, you hurt her, I hurt you." Chris replied. "I'd say to the most perfect, honourable person in the world if she ever dated them."

"I am aware of her past experiences." Hao pointed out.

"I know, she told me she told you." Chris said. "I was impressed because she's-"

"Never told anyone about it, I know." Hao said. "So you can quit ragging on me, I'm not going to do anything like that guy did."

"Hey, I'm her best friend, I gotta look out for her, like she looks out for me." Chris said. "Remember I would threaten anyone, it's more of a knee-jerk reaction than anything else."

"I see." Hao said. "Even if I'm your friend too?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The guy was supposedly our friend as well." Chris pointed out. "I think that's the first time you've actually referred to me as a friend."

"Well, I am dating one human, what's calling another a friend in the face of that?" Hao replied.

"Good point, but can you quit it with the 'human' thing, just sounds weird." Chris told him. "I mean it's not like you're some alien creature, you're still technically human."

"Hm, I suppose you're right." Hao sighed reluctantly. "It's just such a part of me."

"Yeah, I know, thousand years part of you." Chris thought about that for a second. "You know, that technically makes you a pedophile."

"What? How so?" Hao stared at Chris, open-mouthed.

"Kate's like a thousand years younger than you, that makes you a pedo."

"Chris, sometimes..." Hao shook his head. "What goes on in your head sometimes?"

"Not much." Chris said cheerfully. "You're still a perv for going out with someone so much younger than you." Hao elbowed Chris in the ribs.

"You're insufferable sometimes." He sighed.

"At least I'm not a pedo." Chris laughed when Hao punched him in the shoulder. "See, isn't this better than acting all high and mighty all the time?"

Hao paused and thought about that for a second. "You son-of-a... you set me up! Did Yoh put you up to this?" He demanded.

"Nope. Wanted to see if you could actually act like a regular human being." Chris grinned, unrepentant. "I'd say you passed with flying colours."

"Wonderful, I feel so accomplished." Hao said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

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Star: Review plz!


	26. Chapter 26

Star: I own nothing!

Hao watched his... he hesitated to say girlfriend because the word was thrown around so casually in the current culture and it didn't seem to have the same intimate meaning as it once would have. He would settle for lover, until he thought of something else, because it at least hinted at the reason for their relationship and suggested a deeper intimacy.

It was late, and Kate had yet to go to bed. She was studying for her midterm for the next day, and by the glazed look in her eyes, she'd long since passed the point that she could actually absorb any of the information in her notes. Still she seemed determined to plug on, too stubborn to admit defeat. Hao decided it was time to intervene.

He padded quietly over to where she was sitting at the living room table and crouched behind her. "It's time for bed." He whispered, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Noo..." Kate protested, sounding exhausted. "Too much to do, all cell bio, you know how bad I am with that."

"I do, but you do yourself no favours being completely exhausted for your test." Hao said. Kate shook her head, unwilling to listen. "Alright, I guess I must take drastic measures." He scooped her up, carrying her bridal-style up the stairs. Kate squirmed a little, but didn't protest too much, settling for grumbling quietly while glaring tiredly at him.

He brought her into her room and placed her on her bed. He reached for her shirt and pulled it over, doing the same with her pants. "Not a baby." She growled as he put on her pyjama shorts, which were just boxer shorts. "Hey!" She yelped in protest as Hao reached for her bra.

"Are you going to sleep with it on?" Hao asked, raising an eyebrow. She huffed at him. "Turn your back to me if you're so shy." He suggested. She gave him the best dirty look she could conjure at the moment and did as he asked, allowing him to undo her bra and then put her oversized t-shirt that was what passed for a pyjama top to her on her.

That task done he stripped down to his boxers and curled one arm around her waist, laying them both down. Kate squirmed in his hold. "What now?" Hao sighed, beginning to become exasperated with his often confusing lover.

"Don't sleep well with other people in the same bed." She muttered. "Always feel like I'm going to accidently roll over or kick them or something."

"Have you ever slept in this manner with someone?" Hao asked, referring to the spooning position they were in. She shook her head. "Try, and if you are not asleep in fifteen minutes, I will leave, does that sound reasonable?" She nodded her head and Hao wrapped his arm more securely around her, rubbing his thumb against her stomach.

As he'd predicted, Kate was asleep within moments, her soft snores an indication of how quickly she'd become completely relaxed. Hao mused on this a moment, knowing how far they'd both come since their first tentative kisses and touches two months prior. A great rift in both their hearts had healed in that time.

Hao's smile faltered at his mind's reminder that he might not have much time left in this life. If the Patch decided to kill him despite the fact that he'd changed, where would that leave Kate? He sighed quietly, knowing such thoughts were no good at a time when he was meant to be sleeping. He pushed away the depressing thoughts, nuzzling his nose against Kate's hair, drifting off with his lover's warm body against him.

%&%&%&%

Hao was rudely ripped from a peaceful sleep by a poke in the nose. He shook his head and tried to go to sleep, only to yelp indignantly as a saliva-drenched fingertip poked the opening of his ear canal. He sat up and glared at Chris, who was his usual cheerful self.

"So, what have you been up to?" Chris asked, his eyebrows jumping suggestively. "Now don't go making me a godfather just yet."

"You're a pain in the ass," Kate's grumpy voice cut in. "Go away before I kick you." Chris grinned at his friend, who was sitting up in her bed, glaring at the both of them.

"We got class soon." Chris informed her as he got up. "Make sure you use protection!" was his parting shot.

"You're a pain in the ass too." Kate grumbled at Hao as she got up. "Putting me to bed like I was just a little kid-"

"What was that remark about being a godfather about?" Hao interrupted, not feeling up for a fight this early in the morning. Kate blinked, her rant halted. It took her a couple minutes to sort out what Hao was asking her.

"I...we agreed to be godparent to any kids either of us might have." Kate answered finally.

"I see. Do you feel rested this morning?" He asked slyly. Kate gave him a dirty look. "Being lovers means we take care of each other, does it not?"

Kate made a rude noise. "I hate it when you make sense." She complained. Hao pulled her to him and kissed her temple lightly.

"One of us has to make sense, and you certainly don't most of the time." He dodged the pillow thrown at his head and walked out of the room, allowing her to change in privacy. He found some clothes for himself in his own room and headed downstairs for a quick breakfast. Kate was down a couple minutes later, stuffing her notes for her midterm in her backpack.

"Ready to go?" Hao asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Kate muttered in reply.

%&%&%&%

Hao waited on a bench outside the classroom, playing with Kate's laptop. Because it had been a midterm, and he wasn't enrolled and taking the test, he couldn't go inside. Kate, in typical fashion, had been humming the Imperial March on her way in, her standard response to something she felt was going to go badly.

Hao had found an interest in some free online games and a couple of silly sites for silly pictures and stories. They amused him for a time and ensured that he wouldn't be bored while Kate was writing her test. He also had a book to pass the time, though it would only be an hour and a half at the most to wait, which wasn't too bad.

After about an hour Kate emerged and sat down beside him, sighing loudly. "How'd it go?" She mimed shooting herself. "That bad?"

"Well, I think I passed." She said with a helpless shrug. She sighed, lowering her head and raking her fingers through her hair. "It's times like this I wonder if I'm in the right program."

"Let's go to that coffee shop you like." Hao suggested, hoping to take her mind off the exam. The half-smirk Kate gave him told him she knew exactly what he was trying to do. She stood up with him anyways and the two of them leisurely walked across the campus.

"Strange not to be seeing thigh-high snow drifts in February." Kate observed as they walked along. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I always hated the cold."

"I know, you're always the one with the most layers on." Hao replied, opening the door to the coffee shop. He ordered their usual, a tea and a lemon square for him and a hot chocolate and a strawberry cheese Danish for her. Hao cupped his hands around his mug; he disliked the cold almost as much as Kate did. He looked at his lover, and decided now was as good a time as any to bring up something he'd been thinking about.

"I was wondering about our plans for after this semester were." He said slowly, catching her attention. "I mean you'll be going home, so I think it might be easier to break off our relationship now, before it becomes too deep."

Kate blinked at him and then her brow wrinkled in confusion. "We're staying, me and Chris." She told him.

"Huh?" Hao was now perplexed. "When did this happen?"

"We decided a little while back. Didn't I tell you?" Hao shook his head. "Must have slipped my mind."

"You two are staying to finish your schooling in Tokyo?" Kate nodded enthusiastically. "Why?"

"What, you don't want us around?" Kate teased. "We feel like we fit here, you know? And we just really want to stick around. Plus I'm a little closer to all the places I've ever wanted to go here."

"Such as?" Hao prompted.

"Oh, the Great Wall, New Zealand, Australia... except for all the big spiders, Hawaii, India... I just wanna see the world." Kate told him, her eyes distant and excited.

"I'm not sure the world's ready for the likes of you." Hao teased. Kate stuck her tongue out and laughed. Hao felt smugly triumphant that he had successfully taken her mind off her school work. He still could mess with peoples' heads after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Star: Review plz!


	27. Chapter 27

Star: I own nothing!

Hao thought it was going to be another unremarkable spring day. Kate and Chris had finished their exams a couple weeks ago and were making plans for their trip back home, which would be in a month, in June. They would be gone for both their birthdays, which displeased Hao greatly. Not that he thought much of birthdays, he didn't even celebrate his own, but it would be an opportunity to do something special for Kate, in return for all that she'd done for him.

He was not prepared to find Yoh's entire family in the kitchen. He stopped, blinked a couple times and then went ahead to get his tea. "So, you're still here, are you?" Yohmei demanded in a tone of distaste.

"Congratulations, you are effective at stating the obvious." Hao replied sarcastically, putting the kettle on the stove to boil. "Is there some occasion that I'm missing, or are you all here just to annoy me?"

"It's our birthday." Yoh said quietly, looking mildly embarrassed.

"Is it?" Hao asked with mild interest. It was of no consequence to him, but it did make Yoh's family's presence understandable.

"Geez, you don't even know your own birthday?" Chris said as he sauntered into the kitchen. "You going senile, man?"

"I am a thousand years." Hao deadpanned, having long since figured out Chris' sense of humour.

"Jesus, that's quite the facelift they gave you, how much did that cost?" Chris asked glibly.

"I took it out of your account, so it doesn't matter to me." Chris guffawed at the last statement.

"Seriously though, you don't celebrate your birthday?" Chris asked, taking the orange juice out of the fridge. Hao shook his head. "Well, you're celebrating this year."

"Excuse me, why are you talking to him?" Yohmei demanded, while the rest of Yoh's family stared in slack-jawed awe at the human conversing, and joking around with, Hao Asakura of all people.

"He's my friend, and you're very rude for interrupting our conversation." Chris said disdainfully, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, Kate and me are taking you out for a movie later on. She's got something planned for the two of you tomorrow night, but we figured today we'd all do something together."

"What movie?"

"Thor, of course." Chris grinned. "And you can't complain because you love superhero movies."

"I suppose I haven't got much of a choice, do I?" Hao sighed dramatically.

"Oh come off it, you been bouncing around for weeks waiting for it to come out and have been raiding the library for all the Thor comics you could find." Kate said as she sauntered into the kitchen. She stopped in front of Hao and put her hands on her hips. Hao smirked down at her. "You're an ornery piece of work, aren't you?"

"And you're too nosy for your own good." Hao replied. Kate grinned and pushed herself up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, ignoring the gasps of shock the action prompted. She then stole Hao's tea and danced off, making Hao sigh and shake his head at his lover's actions.

He went about his normal daily routine, pointedly ignoring Yoh's family the entire time. When the awkward breakfast was done he headed up to his room to read. Spooky napped in his lap while Matamune read his own book while perched on the dresser. A tap on his door drew his attention and he frowned in mild confusion at Keiko standing there.

"Can I help you?" He asked, politely enough. He'd had no contact with Keiko at all, he didn't know how she stood in her opinion of him.

"Kate's a good girl... I don't want to see her hurt." There was a warning tone in her voice. "I may not have known her for long, but I care what happens to her."

"She's pushy, rude, contrary, nosy," Hao listed off, watching her eyes narrow. "And I wouldn't have her any other way to be quite honest. She pushes me out of the comfort zone that I've held for so long and forces me to look at things a little differently, and try things I would not even consider before. I have no wish to destroy what might be the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Keiko's dark eyes searched his, trying to find the truth. Finally she smiled slightly. "She can be quite a handful, can't she?" She said gently. "Treat her right and she'll do the same."

"I know, and she's pretty good about second chances too." Hao replied. Keiko nodded her head and left Hao alone. "That was easier than I expected." He commented to Matamune.

"The one thing I noticed about Yoh during our short time together was that he got much of his outlook on life from his mother, including his boundless compassion." Matamune explained. "It does not surprise me that she's reacted this way. If only the rest of the family was so easy-going."

Feh, as if." Hao snorted in contempt. Spooky let out a mew of complaint and then settled himself back down in Hao's lap to sleep.

%&%&%&%

Yoh sighed as he stepped in the door. The dinner with his family had not been as great as he'd hoped, since his grandfather kept bringing up Hao, but it was nice to be able to spend time with them. Only his mother had seemed to approve of the choice that he'd made to bring Hao back here.

He could hear laughter upstairs and followed the sound, finding Kate, Chris and Hao recapping the movie and laughing in memory at their favourite parts. Yoh smiled and left them to it. It wasn't too long afterwards that Hao separated from them, still preferring to have his alone time rather than be around others all the time.

"How was the movie?" Yoh asked, peering in Hao's bedroom.

"It was entertaining." Hao said with a careless shrug. "It was certainly no Dark Knight, but then again I don't think many movies can measure up to that one."

"Hm." Yoh hummed in agreement. "I'm glad to see your night was a little better than mine."

"I imagine that's probably partly my fault." Yoh didn't bother trying to lie and nodded his head. "You made the decision, I'm not going to apologize for your relatives' pigheadedness."

"I wasn't expecting you to." Yoh replied, rolling his eyes. "What'd they get you?" He asked with interest. Hao lifted his shirt, showing off the new belt buckle that looked like Link's shield from the Legend of Zelda games. "Geek." Yoh accused with a chuckle.

"Sticks and stones, brother, sticks and stones." Hao intoned in a low voice. "This, and others like it, was Chris' present, Kate's was the entire Harry Potter series for my very own."

"She got sick of you stealing hers, huh?" Yoh chuckled. Hao shook his head despairingly, but Yoh saw the faint curve of a smile upon his face. "Him and her have their birthdays coming up, shouldn't you be thinking of what you want to get them, I mean if you want to give them their gifts before they go."

"Oh, that's already been taken care of." Hao said loftily. "I bought Kate tickets to the final Harry Potter movie premiere, and Chris got the new paintball pistol he's been drooling over for the last few months."

"Where'd you get-"

"The money?" Hao raised an eyebrow at him. "You really didn't think I wouldn't have investments of my own, dear brother, did you?"

"I suppose that makes sense." Yoh admitted. "You know what they got for me?" Hao shook his head. "Well, my record player's been on the fritz for the last few weeks, and so they decided to get it repaired for me in secret, because they don't sell any like that anymore, you know."

"That does seem like a good present." Hao agreed. "There's one more though that needs to be given."

Yoh blinked at Hao, at a loss as to what Hao was trying to get at. "What do you mean?"

"You gave me a present," Hao said, indicating the little glass figurine of a cat that looked almost exactly like Spooky now sitting on his dresser. "Did you think I wouldn't return the favour?" Yoh blinked even more rapidly, trying to process this notion. Hao had gotten him something?

"But...you hadn't even remembered..."

"I had this made some time ago, for the right moment." Hao replied, standing up and rummaging in his dresser drawers. He came out with a small package that looked like it could be from a jeweller. "What better time than your sixteenth birthday?"

Yoh gingered took the box and opened it. He stared for a long time and then looked at Hao, who offered him a rare tender smile. Yoh looked back down into the box, at the heavy silver pendant that shone up at him. It was circular, with the leaf that was traditionally his family's crest embellished upon it, but underneath, carved into the silver, was Hao's personal symbol, the five-pointed star. The two symbols were so strategically placed that they looked as though they were one symbol.

Yoh touched the cool silver, eyes brimming with tears. He understood what the gift meant, what Hao meant by it. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled hiccupping sound, so he settled simply for putting the pendant on and showing Hao, smiling tearfully at him.

"Thank you." He finally managed to force out. Hao shook his head, still smiling that odd tender smile.

"No little brother, it's me who needs to thank you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~

Star: I'm a sucker for soppy moments, what can I say?


	28. Chapter 28

Star: I own nothing!

Hao stared at the clock without really seeing it. He was bored out of his mind without Kate or Chris there to pull him into doing something like playing video games, heading out to see a movie or play around one of the many museums Tokyo had to offer. Not to mention it was Kate's birthday and he couldn't even wish her happy birthday thanks to her family wanting her back home with them for the event.

"Sulking again?" Hao ground his teeth and glared at Anna. Of all the people in the house, she was the only one who continued to treat him like a leper. Of course none of the others were quite friendly with him, but they mostly left him alone, which suited him just fine.

"Unlike you I actually have a significant other I give a damned about, and who gives a damn about me, so unlike you, I actually miss their presence when they are gone, but that would require thinking about someone else for a change on your part, wouldn't it?" Hao replied snarkily. She growled at him but left him alone after that, at least for the moment.

"She does have something of a point." Matamune said carefully when she was gone. "You have been listless of late from missing Kate."

"Not just Kate. Chris is just as fun to be around, and it's good to have a male to be around, because for all that Kate is very tomboyish she still doesn't completely understand males." Hao explained. "Yoh's good to have around, but he's got all his friends and his training to take his attention and I can't get involved."

"You could." Matamune replied.

"It would be awkward and I'd rather not put Yoh, or myself, in that position." Hao sighed. "With Chris and Kate, if one, or both of them are doing something, I can join in, no questions asked and they're almost always happy to see me."

"Anything else?" Matamune asked. Hao glared slightly at the cat spirit.

"You're just playing therapist with me now, aren't you?" Matamune didn't protest. "Fine." He rolled his eyes but kept going. "Yoh's too nice. By that I mean he doesn't try to push me, he doesn't poke fun at me and he doesn't get into arguments with me. While that doesn't seem like something that most people would want, I do like it. It means that they think of me as just another person, and the arguments sometimes get me to think and re-evaluate my own opinions."

"Which you would not have done a year ago." Matamune pointed out.

"That's why it's good that they kept poking at me, trying to pull me out of my shell and not just dancing around me like I'm going to attack them if they set a foot wrong. By being themselves, they showed me the flaws in my opinions." Hao answered.

"I never imagined a pair of prank-playing, goofball humans would be the ones to bring back the Hao-sama I knew." Matamune's eyes were suspiciously moist.

"You're not going to start bawling on me now, are you?" Hao demanded. Matamune chuckled.

"Oh dear, you're starting to sound like them now, aren't you?"

"Oh god, that's a scary thought." Hao looked up at Yoh's voice. "I don't think we need another one running around the house, two is enough."

"I will agree with you on that, brother." Hao replied. As always, the word brother brought a happy smile to Yoh's face. The younger twin wore his present proudly, even after a loud scolding from both his grandfather and Anna.

"You know, if you're bored, we could go somewhere." Yoh suggested earnestly. Hao raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I can understand if you don't want to-"

"If we were to go somewhere it would be of my own choosing and not somewhere you can just laze about, do you understand?" Hao told him firmly. Yoh nodded his head eagerly, reminding Hao of a puppy. "As I understand from today's paper there's a special event of sorts going on in one of the movie theaters nearby and they are showing, among other things, the Lord of the Rings in the theater just for today. Now I don't think you could sit still through all three movies, but I would be amenable to seeing the Return of the King."

Kate and Chris had introduced him to the exhilarating experience that seeing a movie in a theater could be, and Return of the King was amazing enough on a small screen, so seeing it on a giant one... Hao was really turning into a teenager, which, he didn't find so disheartening. He'd never had a proper childhood anyways, why not have one now?

"I always liked the Return of the King, I wouldn't mind seeing it again." Yoh agreed. "When's it showing?"

"four o'clock, which means we should probably leave now to catch the right bus." Hao said, standing up and setting Spooky on the ground. "You behave while I'm gone." He told the cat. Spooky blinked up at him innocently, a look Hao knew better than to trust.

"We'll find he's stolen someone's socks or eaten what was meant for dinner when we get back, won't we?" Yoh asked.

"Most likely." Hao said, uncaringly. Yoh would never allow Spooky to be kicked out, and the cat knew how to hide so he wouldn't be found, even by any of the spirits in the house. "Shall we get going?"

"Oh, just let me grab my wallet!" Yoh yelped, running off towards his room. Hao shook his head and wandered downstairs, putting his shoes on and waiting patiently for his brother to find his wallet. Yoh bounced down the stairs and hurriedly pulled on his sandals, grinning at Hao when he was ready to go.

"Come on then, let's go." Hao said, shaking his head at his twin's childishness. Yoh happily walked beside him, apparently just pleased that Hao was willing to spend time with him. That was Hao's fault though, for pushing him away so often in the beginning, and then ignoring him in favour of his lover and his friend since then. He would have to rectify that mistake, after all, it was Yoh who he had to thank for everything that had happened.

"Hao?" Yoh asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You okay?"

"Never better." Hao replied truthfully. "I was just thinking about things."

"Oh, okay." It was easy to satisfy Yoh's curiosity and make him happy once again. Hao envied that easy peacefulness Yoh seemed to embody, wondering if it would ever be so easy for him.

The movie was every bit as good as Hao had hoped in theaters. He and Yoh shared popcorn and were done not even halfway through the movie. There was no popcorn throwing, as there would have been with Kate and Chris, but Hao could appreciate Yoh's quiet attention to the movie. He did have to agree that seeing the Rohirrim charge at Pelennor fields and listening to Theoden's speech made him want to yell aloud, as Kate had said it made her want to do.

All in all it was a satisfying experience and Hao came out of the theater with a faintly goofy smile on his face. "You look funny, aniki." Yoh chuckled, seeing the smile.

"I'm ridiculously happy, I think I've had too much caffeine today." Hao replied. They waited quietly at the bus stop, which was also different, but good in its own way for Hao.

"Is this going to be just a one-time thing?" Yoh suddenly asked, his brow scrunched up slightly.

"What do you mean?" Hao asked, thinking he had an idea.

"Well, Kate and Chris will be back and you'll go back to doing things with them. I'm just their substitute, right?" Hao sighed unhappily.

"No, Yoh, you're not. I have not asked you to do things with me because of several reasons. One being that you had your own friends and duties to occupy your mind, and I didn't want you to feel obligated to make me a part of them." He put up a hand as Yoh opened his mouth to protest. "My second reason is that I have no wish to ostracize you further from your friends and family than you already are. Thirdly, I wasn't even sure you'd want to be having...outings, alone with me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Yoh asked, honestly perplexed.

"Well, I was not the kindest of people to you, and I constantly pushed away. I forget so easily that you hold no grudges." Hao explained. "You're so different from me, I had no idea how we'd relate either."

"What about Kate and Chris?" Yoh pointed out.

"You make an excellent point, brother." Hao conceded. "I suppose I've just gotten used to spending most of my time around those two, I've forgotten that you brought me here for a reason and you likely wanted some of my time for yourself as well. Forgive me."

"It's okay, I don't mind." Yoh said. "Just so long as we can do things together more often."

"Agreed." Hao replied, smiling once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~

Star: yadjsghdlkhg! Why am I such a sap!


	29. Chapter 29

Star: I own nothing!

Hao sat down, opened his book, stared at the page for a couple minutes and then closed the book again, stood up and went to stare out the window. "They're not going to appear out of nowhere." Matamune sighed, having watched Hao doing the exact same thing for the last half hour or so.

"I just want them to be home." Hao sighed. Today was the day Kate and Chris would be back, and he could barely contain himself. He'd gone out several times with Yoh, but he missed their loudness, their jokes, their rudeness, their fun. If he was going to be honest, he also missed the nights spooning with his lover too.

He tried to concentrate once more on his reading, but it was futile. He hadn't been this anxious... come to think of it, he didn't think he'd ever been this anxious about anything before. Anticipation, nervousness, excitement all churned his stomach until it nearly hurt. He hadn't been able to stomach more than a few bites of breakfast this morning because of it.

He leaned back against the wall and put his book over his face, trying to calm himself down. He felt as buzzed as Kate looked after a couple of cans of coke and some pixie stix. He kept his eyes closed, willing his mind to go blank and giving him some peace for a moment.

He suddenly heard the front door slam and sat up, heart hammering in his chest. "HONEY I'M HOME!" came an all too familiar bellow. Hao raced down the stairs, practically flying through the hallway. He ran right up to Kate, swept her up in his arms, spun her around while she laughed in delight and then kissed her with all the love he had to give her.

"So, did you miss me?" Kate asked when they parted lips. Hao smiled up at her.

"Not really." He said casually. She grinned and kissed him again.

"What, no love for me?" Chris' voice protested behind them. Hao looked up, seeing Chris had out a camera and had obviously been recording their greeting.

"What, you want a kiss too?" Hao grinned and set Kate down before moving towards Chris. Chris dodged out of the way, grinning like an idiot. Hao clapped him on the back and Chris punched him in the arm. "Good to see you back here again."

"Good to be back." Chris replied.

"Are you taller again?" Kate demanded, looking up at Hao. He was a good half a foot taller than her now.

"I'm not sure, but it's very possible." She punched him lightly in the chest.

"Quit growing, damn it!" She yelled at him. "I feel like a midget next to you."

"You are a midget." Chris laughed, giving her a noogey. She swore at him and punched him in the gut. Hao smiled at their antics; it really was good to have them back.

"Alright, bed-time." Kate said, squirming out of Chris' grip and yawning. "Damned jet lag." She headed upstairs and Hao followed behind her, determined to make up for lost time.

Kate flopped down on her bed immediately and Hao lowered himself down carefully beside her. "I missed you." He whispered tenderly, kissing the nape of her neck. He heard her hum in contentment, already nearly asleep. As her breathing grew even Hao found himself drifting off as well.

%&%&%&%

Hao woke when Kate twisted in his arms and kissed his throat softly. "Hello." He whispered, seeing that it was late at night.

"Hello." She sighed in reply. "I've missed waking up like this." She said, snuggling into his chest.

"I've missed everything, even the fact that you're often a pain in the ass." Hao whispered back, chuckling softly when he received a thump on his back for the comment. "Go back to sleep, morning is not for some time."

"Not tired." Kate protested, trying to get up. Hao tugged her back down again, cuddling her against him. "Asshole." She muttered. "Lemme go."

"No, sleeping through the night will help you get used to being on Japan time again." Hao said calmly.

"I don't wanna sleep though." Kate protested once more. Hao ignored them and gathered her up tightly in his arms, beginning to rock them both gently while humming a soothing tune in her ear. It had the intended effect, as Kate's breathing slowed once more and her body grew heavy in sleep. Hao smirked; so much for not being sleepy. He dozed for a little while before falling asleep himself.

A saliva-moistened finger shoved in his ear brought him back to wakefulness with a yelp. Rubbing at his abused ear he gave his grinning lover a dirty look. "Payback." She said cheerfully. "I'm hungry, and I don't care that it's only six in the morning, I'm going downstairs to get food and you're coming with me."

"Fine." Hao sighed dramatically, but he was hungry as well, so he got up willingly enough, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he realized that he'd slept all night in the clothes he'd been wearing the day before. "I'm going to get dressed in something clean first."

"Good lord, you're more fastidious than most girls." Kate accused as he left the room. Hao quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, where she found Kate looking in cupboards and the fridge. He remembered then that it was about time to do groceries and there was hardly anything worth eating in the house.

"Why the hell is there nothing to eat around here." Kate growled.

"There's sushi." Hao pointed out as she opened the fridge. Kate made a gagging noise. "It's not that bad."

"Ugh, raw seafood, no thank you, cooked is bad enough." Kate replied. "Crazy Japanese and their crazy foods."

"You're going out with one of those crazy Japanese." Hao reminded her.

"Never said I was any good at making informed decisions." Kate said glibly, grinning widely at him. He snorted. "I think we're going to have to go on a mission for food." She informed him. Hao raised an eyebrow at her. "I crave pastries."

"You always do." Hao murmured, earning him a light elbow in the ribs. "Alright, let's get going then."

Kate bounced off, full of energy despite the early hour, while Hao moved a little more slowly, disliking the early hour, but content to bear it for an extra hour or so of Kate to himself. They pulled on their shoes and headed out the door.

The sun hadn't been up long, and the day was still a little cool, though they could feel the temperature rising already. "Funny." Kate murmured as they walked along.

"What's funny?" Hao asked.

"I went back, to the place that had been my home for so many years, and yet everything seemed unfamiliar. My bed didn't feel like my bed, the couch didn't seem as comfortable, the walk around the neighbourhood not as comfortable. I get back here and I feel like I've clicked into place. I've never had that before, that one particular place holds a special attraction, I've always adapted to call wherever I was my home."

"Well, you have me here, that's what's different." Hao said.

"You're an egomaniac." Kate laughed. "But you may have something there."

"As always." Hao said haughtily, ignoring her snort of derision. He sobered as they walked along, knowing they may not have too much more time together. He had to bring up the subject. "August is coming up." He started.

"And then September, October-"

"Kate, this is serious." Hao insisted, stopping her and looking down into her eyes. She lowered hers.

"I know it is." She said softly, avoiding his gaze. "I just don't want to think about it."

"Kate..." She looked up at him. "We have to, it's almost here and if they don't believe..."

"I'm not giving you up without a fight." Kate growled, her mood suddenly shifting. "And neither will Chris, or Yoh."

"They could go after you." Hao said. "I don't want that. Don't put yourself in danger for me."

"You don't have a choice in the matter." Kate said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'll be damned if I just let you go. I can't go through life knowing I was a coward."

"I-" Hao's shoulders slumped, he knew when he was beaten. "I don't want to see you hurt because of me."

"You won't." Kate said. "Whatever they do is on their heads, not yours. Now come on, I still need breakfast."

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Star: I swear something interesting actually happens next chapter.


	30. Chapter 30

Star: I own nothing!

"So what do you think of Kate's plan to drag you to Canada for Christmas to meet her family?" Yoh asked as he and Hao cleaned up from breakfast.

"Her sisters apparently don't believe that someone who looks like me would be going out with her, so it would be fun to rub it in their faces." Hao answered after some hesitation. Yoh knew what the hesitation was about, the thought that Hao might not be around for Christmas. "We've both been talking about getting part-time jobs so we have money to go travelling someday." Hao admitted quietly.

"Aww, that's sweet. I don't think you want to try working somewhere that you have to deal with a lot of people though, you might kill someone." Yoh said.

"Yah, that's been the main roadblock." Hao sighed. "I may not hate humanity, but I still don't want to put up with their stupidity."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Yoh chuckled. There was a knock at the front door, which both of them ignored as Horohoro screamed that he was getting the door.

"Yoh." Yoh turned and regarded Goldva, his eyes widening in realization as both Silva and Kalim walked into the kitchen too. He turned his head slightly and watched Hao freeze, his face draining of colour. "It is time."

"Kind of figured that." Hao's tone was snarky, but Yoh could hear a tremor in his voice.

"You are about to get what you deserve finally." Marco, the Iron Maiden and Lyserg also walked in.

"Oh, gods." Hao moaned. "The hell are you doing here?"

"As if we'd miss this." Marco replied with a malicious smirk. Kalim and Silva walked over, each gripping one of Hao's arms. Hao pulled away.

"I am not going anywhere, you can stop manhandling me." Hao said stiffly.

"Why don't we sit down in the living room?" Yoh suggested. "I'll get the rest of them to come down."

Silva and Kalim flanked Hao as he walked with head held high to the living room. Yoh watched him sit down in an armchair as he called everyone down. "This is only a formality of course, there is no way we can allow him to live." Lyserg said, avoiding Yoh's eyes purposely.

"In order for this to be fair, Hao should have a proper chance." Goldva replied. "We made a deal and we intend to honour that deal." She paused. "Of course, he will say anything to save his own life, so he will not be speaking in his own defense." Yoh nodded his head. "And neither will you, Yoh."

"What?" Yoh asked, completely flabbergasted. "Why not?"

"Because you will say anything to save his life too." Silva replied. "That's just the way you are, and we all know it."

Yoh sighed, knowing they were right. "I'm sorry, Hao."

"It's okay, brother." Hao replied softly. "I wasn't even expecting this much of a concession."

"So then," Goldva said as all the members of the household filed into the living room. "Who speaks for Hao?"

There was a long, pregnant pause. "I do." Kate's voice rang out strong and true. Yoh heard Hao sigh, either in relief or resignation, he wasn't sure, as Kate strode over to stand by Hao.

"Me too." Chris added, wandering over as well.

"And... you are?" Goldva asked, looking between the two of them with some confusion.

"I'm Kate, and the idiot over there is Chris." Kate said, ignoring Chris flipping her off.

"And why do you defend him?"

"Because we like him." Chris said. "I mean, fuck, Kate's going out with the guy, which is pretty fucking amazing, if you know Kate's history, which will not be talked about."

"Plus, we started out as the least biased people when it came to dealing with Hao. We knew who he was, but we had no opinions on him at all, and so we would look on him as just another person when dealing with him." Kate added practically.

"Fair enough." Goldva said.

"Going out?" Kalim muttered, staring at Kate. Yoh swallowed, seeing Marco's hand drift to his gun holster.

"I suppose the only question is, do you believe he's changed, for real?" Goldva asked both of them. Chris looked at Kate, who gestured at him to go on.

"Yes, I do." Chris said. "I've watched him go from reluctantly and grudgingly allowing us to be around him, to actually seeking us out to play video games, read or just simply to have someone around, to actually openly admitting to enjoying our company, joining in our jokes and tricks and laughing with us."

"And why do you believe that is real?" Goldva asked. Chris looked at Kate.

"I'm going out with Hao, and it's been a struggle for both of us to admit that even to ourselves. He's bared his soul to me, and I to him, and the fact that I'm able to do that... I find it very hard to trust people intimately, and the fact that Hao has been able to give me the courage to take another shot at a relationship is fucking incredible."

"Can I actually show you something that might help?" Chris added. Goldva nodded. "The tape from when we got back from Canada, you don't mind if I show them?" Hao shrugged his shoulders. Chris ran upstairs and came back down with his video camera and focused on plugging it into the TV and starting it up.

Yoh couldn't help but smile as on-screen his brother picked up Kate, the joy evident in his face, swinging her around and kissing her lovingly. It was all too plain the laughter in his eyes as he teased Chris and as he looked at his lover. Goldva's face was unreadable as the tape ran out and the screen went black.

"Of course this is all a hoax!" Marco cried. "What would Hao ever want with someone like her?" Yoh saw Kate flinch slightly and Hao's hand came up to entwine with hers. He gave Marco an ugly look that said that if he hadn't been completely powerless, Marco would be in serious trouble.

"The monster understands nothing of love." Lady Jeanne added in her toneless voice. Goldva said nothing, her eyes closed in thought. Finally she opened them again and stared at Hao, whose Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

"I have one question for you." Goldva said. Hao inclined his head, not relinquishing his hold on Kate's hand. "If we were to tell you that you are in fact to die today, what would be your last acts?"

Hao was silent for a long moment, looking down. "It might be easier to show you." He finally said, the words working their way out of his mouth with great difficulty. He stood up and went to Yoh, placing hands on both his shoulders. "Thank you, Yoh, for always believing in me." He said quietly, but loud enough for all to hear. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been a better brother to you."

He moved on, going over to Chris. The two of them clasped hands and then hugged, slapping each other on the back. "Thank you, for being my friend, even when I was being a complete asshole." He said. "I wish I'd been able to share in more craziness with you."

"Likewise, man." Chris said. Hao then turned to Kate and his eyes softened as he walked up to her. Cupping her face gently he looked down into her eyes and then kissed her passionately, lovingly.

"I will find you, if I have to claw my way out of hell, I will find a way back to you." He said to her. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Thank you for being the love I always needed." Kate shook her head, unable to speak. Hao kissed her again and then turned to face Goldva.

"Whatever your decision, I'm ready." He said to Goldva. Goldva considered him for a long moment.

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Star: Short, but I wanted the cliff-hanger!


	31. Chapter 31

Star: Here it is, enjoy and remember that I do not own Shaman King (sadly).

"Come here, Hao Asakura." Goldva said after a painfully long moment. Hao swallowed thickly and did as he was asked. Goldva gestured for him to bend down and Hao obeyed. The old chieftess touched the collar around Hao's neck and with a soft clink, it fell to the ground. Hao let out a gasp and straightened, touching his now bare neck, staring at Goldva, wide-eyed.

"What are you doing?" Marco shrieked, rising to his feet. "You have given the Evil One back his powers."

"Death is the punishment for a man who we believe will cause trouble again. After seeing with my own eyes the man Hao has become, I think I can say for certain he will be no more trouble." Goldva replied calmly.

"Oh, I don't know about that, just different kind of trouble." Kate muttered, grinning her Cheshire-cat grin. Hao turned and hugged her.

"Behave." He whispered, kissing her on the top of her head.

"Never." Kate replied, her voice muffled by his chest.

"If there were any doubts about his change, now is the time to put them aside." Yoh said quietly, looking in particular at Lyserg. "He's got his powers back, and his first act is simply to hug the one he loves."

"It is all a falsehood, and you have deemed yourself unworthy." The Iron Maiden stated, standing up. "We will finish this ourselves."

In an instant there was a large glowing sword, an Oversoul, pointed at her throat. It was Hao's doing, Matamune as his partner. "Do not think that because I no longer have Spirit of Fire that I cannot kill you." He said softly, dangerously. "Leave now, don't come back, and no one will have to get hurt."

Marco tried to stand, but Lady Jeanne waved him down. "It is only a matter of time before you get your punishment, not taking it now will only prolong your suffering." She informed Hao.

"I think I'll take my chances." Hao said darkly. "Now leave."

"As if we'd stay in such a _tainted_ household anyways." Marco hissed, struggling to regain his composure. "Rest assured, we will be back to finish this though." He and the Iron Maiden swept out the door, but Hao didn't relax.

"And what have you to say?" He demanded of Lyserg, who hadn't moved. Lyserg glared at him.

"Well I can't very well kill you now that you have your powers back, now can I?" He snarled. "I think this is a mistake, and I'll be sticking around to make sure that you're not going to stab everyone here in the back."

"If I was going to do anything, I'd have done it already." Hao assured him. "I'm not a man who draws this sort of thing out."

"Naw, you just like to torture yourself, not other people." Chris said, reaching up to ruffle Hao's hair.

"Hey! With your power back, we don't have to worry about paying for plane, train or bus tickets. We can just go wherever we want in the world, whenever!" Kate said excitedly, bouncing in place. "Where should we go first?"

"Whoa, slow down Speedy Gonzalez." Chris said. "Let the man get over his near heart attack at believing he was going to die first."

"Thank you, Chris." Hao said. "I think a round of video games should clear it up."

"Video games clear everything up." Chris replied philosophically.

"Only in your tiny little brain, Chris." Kate teased. Goldva shook her head at their antics.

"If you had told me Hao would be standing shoulder to shoulder with such odd young people, I would have laughed in your face, and yet here we are." She said. "Tell me, why?" Hao smiled slightly.

"They didn't treat me like a pariah, they didn't treat me like glass. They treated me like they would anyone else, and it was...relaxing." He explained. "They didn't expect anything from me, and they didn't care if I didn't like something they did, so long as I gave it a shot and didn't dismiss it from the start. They included me, and pushed me out of my comfort zone."

"And then you fell in love with one." Silva stated.

"I did. I fought it so much when I realized what was going on. She listened to me, and argued with me, and she was just there for me." Hao said, hugging Kate close. "She didn't let me get away with being an asshole and made me apologize before she would talk to me again, but knew how to apologize to me if she was the one who crossed the line. She kept my secrets and allowed me to keep hers in return. She is everything I thought I could never have, and more."

"Oh god, I really wanted to say something just as impressive, but you've taken all the best lines." Kate giggled. "He was fun, and funny, when he wasn't being an asshole, and even then he was more sarcastic than mean. When I could get past that hard shell I could see a softer, gentler side to him, and it intrigued me as much as the asshole side did. I didn't mean to fall in love, I didn't want to fall in love, but he took the first step, and he had the courage, and the humility to admit he was scared, and so I followed."

"And you said he'd taken all the best lines already." Chris snorted. "It's just weird to hear you philosophise."

"Only because you can't do it yourself." Hao retorted, whapping Chris over his head lightly.

"This has to be the strangest thing I have ever seen in my life." Kalim said, his voice full of awe.

"I think we're forgetting the fact that the X-Laws will be back eventually." Silva interjected.

"Yes, but they will have to get past spells of my own making to get to this house, so I do not consider them much of a problem." Hao said dismissively, ignoring Kate's mutter of 'cocky bastard'. "I would be more worried about yourselves."

"The valley cannot be found unless we wish to be found." Goldva replied. "Do not concern yourselves about us."

"I don't see how you're all so calm about this!" Lyserg exclaimed.

"Dude, relax, if he hasn't killed us by now, because, come to think of it, we said some really nasty things, then he's not going to kill us at all." Horohoro said. "He's not completely unpleasant to be around, when he's not angry that is."

"I know you're never going to get over this, but I'd like you to respect that we understand what we're doing." Yoh said. "You need to put your hatred aside, otherwise, you'll become like him."

"Excuse me?" Lyserg squawked.

"The way Hao acted, the things he did, were fuelled, were planted by the hatred he carried and could not control." Kate said. "I know him, and I know that if not for that hatred, he would have never done many of the things he had. As Yoda once said 'fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side'."

"It's not that simple." Lyserg growled.

"Hao got over a thousand years worth of hatred and even fell in love with the enemy." Chris pointed out.

"I'm not going to talk about this anymore." Lyserg huffed.

"That's when you know you've won the argument." Kate said in a stage whisper. "I think we need to celebrate."

"Who, exactly?" Hao asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say no to just you and me, but since Yoh and Chris both had a hand in saving your ass, I think we should all go somewhere together."

Hao smirked. "Any requests?"

"Tim Horton's." Kate and Chris said together. Hao shook his head.

"Of all the places in the world I could take you, you want to go to a coffee shop?" He laughed.

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it." Kate teased, poking her tongue out at him.

"Alright, alright, you want Tim Horton's?" Hao laughed again at the looks on their faces. "Well, let's go then."

He gripped Kate around the waist, put hand on Yoh's shoulder and let Chris grab his free shoulder. "We should be back in a couple hours, or not. Depends on if these crazies find more stuff for us to do."

With those parting words they were gone, off on the first of what would most likely prove to be countless journeys.

**THE END**

Star: Mixed feelings about the end, like that it's low-key, feel it went a little fast, but I think that's the best it's going to get right now. Hope you've all enjoyed the story, thank you to everyone who's reviewed and stuck around for this, and I'll have something new up soon!


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